America’s military footprint in the Gulf region expanded significantly on Saturday with the dispatch of the amphibious assault ship USS Tripoli and 2,500 additional marines to the Middle East, adding to an already formidable US military presence that was conducting daily airstrikes on Iranian territory. The deployment reinforced American options across a spectrum of potential missions — from embassy security and civilian evacuation to offensive amphibious operations — without publicly committing to any specific course of action. Officials were careful to note that the arrival of marine expeditionary forces did not necessarily signal an imminent ground assault.
The military build-up came as US warplanes conducted continued bombing runs against Iran, including further strikes on Kharg Island on Saturday. President Trump said in public remarks the island had been effectively demolished and left open the possibility of additional attacks. He simultaneously called on China, France, Japan, South Korea, and the UK to send warships to the Strait of Hormuz, which Iran had closed since the war began on February 28. His appeal was the first public acknowledgment that reopening the waterway might require a multinational coalition rather than unilateral American action.
Iran refused to be intimidated by the American military build-up. Ballistic missiles struck Fujairah in the UAE on Saturday, suspending oil-loading operations and prompting warnings for civilians near ports and US installations to evacuate. Iranian commanders threatened strikes on any Gulf energy facility with American ties. The foreign minister called on Arab states to expel US forces. Iran continued firing rockets at Israel simultaneously, demonstrating an operational tempo that showed no sign of slowing despite the enormous pressure it was under.
Israeli warplanes conducted dozens of raids across Iran on Saturday, killing at least 15 people in Isfahan. Iran fired rockets at Israel in return. US Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth described Iran’s leadership as “desperate and hiding” and claimed the new supreme leader had been wounded. Iranian officials confirmed the injury but called it minor. The International Crisis Group assessed the regime as intact and pursuing a deliberate long-term strategy of survival and prolonged conflict.
The human cost of the war was mounting rapidly. More than 1,400 Iranians had been killed in sustained bombing. Thirteen Israelis and roughly 20 Gulf residents had died. Lebanon’s crisis continued, with 800 killed and 850,000 displaced from Israeli strikes on Hezbollah. Six US troops died in an aircraft crash in Iraq, separate from the overall deployment of forces to the region. The US embassy in Baghdad was struck overnight, and Americans in Iraq were ordered to leave. The expanding US military footprint reflected a war that was getting larger, not smaller.
