Citing unnamed U.S. defense officials, the Wall Street Journal on Friday reported that Department of War Secretary Pete Hegseth approved a request from U.S. Central Command (CENCOM) for "an amphibious ready group" and its Marine expeditionary unit -- which usually involves multiple warships and 5,000 Marines -- to help U.S. forces already operating in the region as the conflict with Iran continues.
Among the units being redirected is the Japan-based USS Tripoli and its embarked Marines, the outlet noted.
The move comes nearly two weeks into the conflict, as Iranian attacks on strategic waterways and allied forces have intensified.
American warships and Marines have been moving toward the Middle East amid heightened Iranian strikes on the Strait of Hormuz, a critical global shipping corridor, which have disrupted commercial traffic and strained energy markets.
President Donald Trump and members of his administration have said the objective is to neutralize threats posed by Iran's military capabilities, including missile and naval assets, as part of a broader coalition response.
"We are totally destroying the terrorist regime of Iran, militarily, economically, and otherwise," Trump wrote, in part, on Truth Social early Friday morning.
"Iran's Navy is gone, their Air Force is no longer, missiles, drones and everything else are being decimated, and their leaders have been wiped from the face of the earth," he added. "We have unparalleled firepower, unlimited ammunition, and plenty of time -- watch what happens to these deranged scumbags today. They’ve been killing innocent people all over the world for 47 years, and now I, as the 47th President of the United States of America, am killing them. What a great honor it is to do so!"
Hegseth on Friday said Iran's leadership is "desperate and hiding." He added that the nation's new supreme leader is "wounded and likely disfigured."
As for the U.S., six crew members of a KC-135 refueling aircraft supporting operations against Iran were killed after their plane crashed in western Iraq, the U.S. military said.
CENTCOM, which oversees the Middle East, said the crash followed an unspecified incident involving two aircraft in “friendly airspace,” and that the other plane landed safely.
The crash brings the U.S. death toll amid the conflict to at least 13 service members, seven of whom were killed in combat. About 140 U.S. service members have been injured, including eight severely, the Pentagon said earlier this week.
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