Illustrative image. (U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 3rd Class Christopher B. Janik/Released)
The United States is sending the 11th Marine Expeditionary Unit (MEU) with the Wasp-class amphibious assault ship USS Boxer and two other vessels to the Middle East, as President Donald Trump is reported to be mulling taking over a key Iranian island.
The Boxer was seen leaving Naval Base San Diego on March 18 by webcam accounts monitoring the location. At the time, a local Fox News affiliate reported, citing a statement from the U.S. Navy Third Fleet based in San Diego, that the 11th MEU is conducting “routine operations” in the Pacific Ocean as part of the US Navy’s Pacific fleet.
Nevertheless, Newsmax and The Jerusalem Post on March 20 both reported that the U.S. Navy is accelerating the deployment of the Boxer, alongside San Antonio-class amphibious transport dock USS Portland and Whidbey Island-class dock landing ship USS Comstock, to the Middle East.
The Boxer can carry out a number of warplanes, F-35B Lightning II stealth fighter jets, AH-1Z Super Viper attack helicopters and MV-22B Osprey assault support tiltrotor aircraft.
Together with the Portland and Comstock, the vessels carry approximately 2,500 Marines and a total of about 4,000 service members.
The reports about the deployment of the 11th MEU came as the 31st MEU, aboard the America-class amphibious assault ship and two other vessels, is about to arrive in the Middle East. The Tripoli was spotted near the Malacca Strait off Singapore on March 18.
An MEU consists of four elements: command, ground combat, air combat and logistics combat. Such units are typically deployed for evacuations and amphibious operations that require ship-to-shore movements, like raids and assaults. They also have ground and aviation combat components, and some units are trained for special operations.
Multiple recent reports, including one by Reuters, revealed that the Trump administration is considering sending thousands more American troops to the Middle East to provide additional options to expand the war on Iran.
One March 20, Axios even revealed, citing four sources with knowledge of the issue, that Trump is considering plans to occupy or blockade Iran’s Kharg Island to pressure Iran to reopen the Strait of Hormuz.
“We need about a month to weaken the Iranians more with strikes, take the island and then get them by the balls and use it for negotiations,” a source with knowledge of the White House thinking told the American news website.
The island is Iran’s most critical maritime oil export hub, handling roughly 90-95 percent of its crude exports and acting as a central, vulnerable lifeline for the nation’s economy. U.S. strikes hit military targets on the island on March 13 and Trump has threatened to also strike its critical oil infrastructure. This didn’t deter Iran, however.
According to Axios, not just two, but three different Marine units are on their way to the United States. The report didn’t identify the third unit.
“He wants Hormuz open. If he has to take Kharg Island to make it happen, that’s going to happen. If he decides to have a coastal invasion, that’s going to happen. But that decision hasn’t been made,” a senior administration official told Axios.
“We’ve always had boots on the ground in conflicts under every president, including Trump. I know this is a fixation in the media, and I get the politics, but the president is going to do what’s right,” a second senior official said, adding no decision had been made.
Three MEUs are likely sufficient to stage an attack on Kharg. However, such a landing would require strong air cover, one that the U.S. Navy will not be able to provide support from USS Boxer and USS Tripoli, not even with support from the Nimitz-class aircraft carrier USS Abraham Lincoln currently taking part in the war in Iran from the Arabian sea.
The U.S. Navy and even the Air Force will launch strikes from air bases in neighboring Gulf countries, like Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Bahrain, or better the United Arab Emirates, something that has not been reported since the start of the war on the Islamic Republic.
In addition, the amphibious assault ships taking part in the landing will likely be exposed to anti-ship fire, and after a successful landing on Kharg, the marines could be left exposed to Iranian missile and drone strikes with very little air defense.
To secure the island itself, the U.S. will likely have to secure most of the Iranian coast line in parallel to it, which means that this could easily escalate into a full-on invasion, one in which the Islamic Republic has far more troops.
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more americunt transsexuals desperate to swallow arab jizz—inferior americunt species lose all wars
in my humble opinion, hillbilly jizz tastes better.
in my humble opinion. those marines and their helicopters will be intercepting and confiscating iranian blockade runners going to china and redirecting those oil tankers to europe and other friendly nations like india, turkiye, etc.
this man would do anything to cover up his pedophile and satanic activities. not only was he a pedophile and a rapist, but he also sacrificed a baby to satan. or rather, to baal or molcoh. all maga wear horned helmets and worship the devil.
to get to kharg island these ships will have to pass through the strait of hormuz. good luck with that….
only chance they would have is a big airborne operation and that would be a slaugherhouse.
sounds like the playbook of ukrainian 2023 counteroffensive: “take the [krim] island and then get them by the balls and use it for negotiations”.
didn’t work out that well 3 years ago and those negotiations.. trump just doesn’t care any more. next war please!
if kharg is attacked by the amerikunts from the quisling gulf dictatorships, all the oil and gas fields, refineries and terminals belonging to these arab whores will be scrap metal. these fake sheikhs and emirs will have to go back to goat herding and selling dirty postcards. but bring it on, donny! if you’re in a hole, just keep on digging! you have to please your joo bosses! let’s have a bay of pigs 2.0! we need the laughs!
incidentally, kharg isn’t as important to iran as the jooz and ziocons surrounding trumpy and pulling his strings seem to believe. there are 4 other major ports for oil exports. kharg wasn’t used at all for exports for 3 years from 2019-22. but never mind! just put john wayne ashore and make 500 crappy films about it.