President Donald Trump on Thursday dismissed a report his administration is considering whether to deploy thousands of U.S. troops to reinforce operations in the Middle East.
Reuters, citing a U.S. official and three people familiar with the matter, reported earlier Thursday that the U.S. military is preparing next steps in its campaign against Iran, which began Feb. 28.
Those options include securing safe passage for oil tankers through the Strait of Hormuz. The mission would rely primarily on air and naval forces, according to Reuters. But securing the strait could also involve deploying U.S. troops to Iran's coast.
"No, I'm not putting troops anywhere," Trump said in comments that aired live on Newsmax and the free Newsmax2 streaming platform. "If I were, I certainly wouldn't tell you. But I'm not putting troops."
On March 13, The Wall Street Journal reported that Secretary of War Pete Hegseth approved a request from U.S. Central Command to send a Marine expeditionary unit and additional warships to the Middle East. The request came as Iran escalated attacks in the Strait of Hormuz. CENTCOM asked for an element of an Amphibious Ready Group and an attached Marine Expeditionary Unit.
The deployment of the 31st Marine Expeditionary Unit does not mean it will be used as a ground force in Iran. However, it provides land, amphibious, and aviation assets available to military commanders if needed, ABC News reported.
The 31st MEU includes a squadron of F-35B Lightning II stealth fighters and a squadron of MV-22 Osprey tilt-rotor aircraft. The USS Tripoli, a Japan-based amphibious assault ship, and its Marines are headed to the Middle East, according to the Journal. Marines are already in the region supporting Operation Epic Fury.
Trump was also asked whether he intends to lift sanctions on Iranian oil exports. Crude oil prices have risen to nearly $120 a barrel since the conflict began. Iran has sharply restricted access through the strait, which it has said remains open but effectively closed "for our enemies." The strait is a crucial chokepoint, where about 20% of global oil transits.
"We will do whatever is necessary to keep the price as low," he said. "I actually thought the numbers would be worse. I thought that it would go up more than it did. But we're doing this excursion, and when it's completed, we're going to have a much safer world. … Iran is a serious threat to the Middle East and to the world. … I think virtually every country agrees with me on that. So, I wanted to put out that fire, and I said, you know, if I do that, oil prices will go up, the economy will go down a little bit. I thought it would be worse, much worse actually. I thought there was a chance it could be much worse. It's not bad and it's going to be over with pretty soon."
Reuters also reported that the Trump administration has discussed options to send ground forces to Kharg Island, the hub for about 90% of Iran's oil exports. One official said such an operation would be very risky, as Iran can target the island with missiles and drones.
The U.S. struck military targets on the island on March 13, but Trump said Monday he deliberately spared the island's oil infrastructure to preserve it for a future democratic government.
"We can take out the island anytime we want," Trump said Thursday. "I call it the little island that sits there so totally unprotected. We've taken out everything but the pipes. We left the pipes because to rebuild the pipes would take years for them to do."
Michael Katz ✉
Michael Katz is a Newsmax reporter with more than 30 years of experience reporting and editing on news, culture, and politics.
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