US to deploy thousands of additional troops to the Middle East, officials say

By Idrees Ali and Phil Stewart

WASHINGTON, March 20 (Reuters) - The United States military is deploying thousands of additional Marines and sailors to the Middle East, three U.S. officials told Reuters on Friday, as the U.S.-Israeli war on Iran reached the three-week mark.

No decision had been made to send troops into Iran itself, two of the officials told Reuters, but they will build up the capacity for potential future operations in the region.

The deployments of the USS Boxer, an amphibious assault ship, along with its Marine Expeditionary Unit and accompanying warships, come after Reuters reported that President Donald Trump's administration was considering deploying thousands of U.S. troops to reinforce its operation in the Middle East.

Trump told reporters on Thursday that he was not putting troops "anywhere," but that if he were to do so, he would not tell journalists.

The sources, who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss future deployments, did not say what the role of the additional troops would be.

One of the officials said the troops were departing the West Coast of the United States about three weeks ahead of schedule. The expeditionary unit has about 2,500 Marines.

The White House referred questions to the Pentagon, which did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

The additional deployments will add to the 50,000 U.S. troops already in the Middle East and would bring two Marine Expeditionary Units to the region. The first MEU, which was dispatched from the Indo-Pacific, is expected to arrive in the Middle East next week.

The units can be used for a number of reasons, including carrying out strikes using the aircraft on board the ships, or being deployed on land.

The aircraft carrier Ford, which suffered a laundry room fire, is heading for repairs at Souda Bay on the Greek island ​of Crete. The official told Reuters the Navy would be sending the aircraft carrier Bush to replace the Ford, which has been at sea for more than nine months.

OPTIONS FOR TRUMP

Sources had previously said the U.S. military was preparing for possible next steps in its campaign against ​Iran, which began on February 28.

Those options, Reuters has reported, include securing the Strait of Hormuz, potentially by deploying U.S. forces to Iran's shoreline.

The Trump administration has also discussed options to send ground forces to Iran's Kharg Island, the hub for 90% of Iran's oil exports, Reuters has reported.

Any use of U.S. ground troops - even for a limited mission - could pose significant political risks for Trump, given low support among the American public for the ​Iran campaign and Trump's own pre-election promises to avoid entangling the U.S. in new Middle East conflicts.

A Reuters/Ipsos poll that closed on Thursday found that some ​65% of Americans believe Trump will order troops into a large-scale ground war in Iran and ‌just 7% support that idea.

The U.S. has carried out strikes against 7,000 targets inside Iran, and hit more ‌than 40 Iranian mine-laying vessels and 11 submarines, the Pentagon says.

In a sign that the war could continue for some time, a U.S. official told Reuters the Pentagon had asked the White House to approve a request of more than $200 billion to Congress to fund the conflict.