The Pentagon will send thousands more troops to the Middle East in the coming days as the Trump administration seeks to pressure Iran for a deal to end the conflict, the Washington Post reports, citing US officials.
The forces arriving in the region include about 6,000 troops aboard the aircraft carrier USS George HW Bush and several accompanying warships, current and former officials said, speaking on condition of anonymity. Another 4,200 troops, belonging to the Boxer Amphibious Ready Group and the launched naval task force, the 11th Marine Expeditionary Unit, are expected to arrive by the end of the month.
The military reinforcements are expected to join the warships already present in the Middle East, just as the two-week ceasefire expires on April 22.
The troops will join the approximately 50,000 troops that the Pentagon estimates are engaged in operations against Iran.
The arrival of additional US warships will put even greater pressure on Iran and give Admiral Brad Cooper, the head of US Central Command, and other senior military officials more options if negotiations fail, James Foggo, a retired Navy admiral and dean of the Center for Naval Strategy in Northern Virginia, told the US newspaper.
The Washington Post also reports that possible scenarios for further escalation are being discussed within the US administration, including ground operations on Iranian territory, special missions to neutralize Iranian nuclear materials, and taking control of strategic points in the Persian Gulf.