OAN Staff Katherine Mosack
7:55 AM – Friday, March 20, 2026
The Pentagon is reportedly deploying about 2,500 more California-based Marines to Iran as President Donald Trump attempts to open the Strait of Hormuz to international shipping during the ongoing Middle East conflict.
The 11th Marine Expeditionary Unit, consisting of the San Diego-based USS Boxer amphibious assault ship and two supporting ships, is making a weeks-long trip to the region, according to the Wall Street Journal on Friday.
Another similarly-sized unit is also already on the way, including the USS Tripoli, another amphibious assault ship originally from Japan, and two other ships. This group, which holds about 2,200 Marines, reportedly crossed the Strait of Malacca north of Singapore on Wednesday and should reach Iran by the end of March. This brings the number of troops traveling to the region to nearly 5,000.
Meanwhile, Trump suggested he would consider “winding down” the United States’ military efforts in Iran after three weeks of combat.
“We are getting very close to meeting our objectives as we consider winding down our great Military efforts in the Middle East with respect to the Terrorist Regime of Iran,” the president wrote in a Truth Social Post on Friday.
He listed the objectives of Operation Epic Fury that are within sight for the U.S.:
- Completely degrading Iranian missile capability, launchers, and “everything else pertaining to them.”
- Destroying Iran’s Defense Industrial Base.
- Eliminating their navy and air force, including anti-aircraft weaponry.
- Never allowing Iran to get even close to nuclear capability and putting the U.S. in a constant position where it can “quickly and powerfully react to such a situation, should it take place.”
- Protecting the U.S.’s allies in the Middle East, including Bahrain, Israel, Kuwait, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and others.
“The Hormuz Strait will have to be guarded and policed, as necessary, by other Nations who use it — The United States does not!” Trump explained. “If asked, we will help these Countries in their Hormuz efforts, but it shouldn’t be necessary once Iran’s threat is eradicated.”
On Thursday, when asked about the possibility of ground troops in Iran, Trump remarked that he was not putting troops “anywhere.” Polling shows that Americans are not comfortable with a large-scale ground war effort in the country.
Iran, continuing to push back despite large new deployments, has threatened to expand its retaliatory attacks to encompass tourist sites.
In a statement on Friday, General Abolfazl Shekarchi, a senior spokesman for Iran’s military, said “tourist resorts, recreational parks, and sightseeing centers around the world” could be targeted in what he called a hunt for United States and Israeli leaders.
“From now on, based on the information we have, even recreational and tourist locations around the world will not be safe for you,” he warned U.S. and Israeli officials.
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