WASHINGTON — The Pentagon is reportedly dispatching three warships from California along with approximately 2,500 Marines to the Middle East, marking the second major deployment within a week.
The USS Boxer, based in San Diego, along with two other warships from the 11th Marine Expeditionary Unit, set sail from Camp Pendleton on Wednesday. The Associated Press reported the deployments on Friday, citing sources from the Pentagon.
Official Pentagon communications referred to the deployment as “routine training,” yet defense officials informed various news organizations that the ultimate destination is indeed the Middle East, where the U.S. military has approximately 50,000 personnel mobilized.
A Marine force of 2,500, accompanied by the USS Tripoli, launched from Japan on Saturday.
The Pentagon refrained from commenting on the deployments, stating, “Due to operational security, we do not discuss future or hypothetical movements,” as indicated by a spokesperson’s statement on Friday.
Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth, in the foreground, and Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen. Dan Caine attend a news conference at the Pentagon in Washington on Thursday.
(Mandel Ngan / AFP via Getty Images)
The increased military preparations coincide with the economic repercussions being felt globally as Washington indicated a prolonged conflict ahead.
During a news conference on Thursday, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth confirmed that the Pentagon had requested an additional $200 billion from the White House to support the war effort, coinciding with a record U.S. national debt of $39 trillion.
This supplemental spending proposal will necessitate congressional approval. Senator Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) deemed the request “unacceptable for a war without a strategy.”
“No way,” he remarked. “That will never happen. It is a ludicrous and perilous gamble.”
The increase in troop presence in the region raises concerns about the possibility of stationing U.S. ground forces in Iran. Congressional Republican leaders have been vague regarding the idea of holding formal votes to authorize such actions.
When queried whether the administration should seek congressional approval for deploying U.S. ground troops, House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) indicated it would hinge on the specifics of the mission presented.
“If we are accomplishing the mission with a limited scope, then that does not constitute a declaration of war,” Johnson stated.
Representative Ted Lieu (D-Torrance), an Air Force Reserve member, referred to Johnson’s comment as an instance of “the diminishing of one branch of government in real time.”
As of Friday, 13 U.S. service members have died and 232 have sustained injuries in the Middle East since the conflict’s onset, according to U.S. Central Command spokesperson Capt. Tim Hawkin.
Marines demonstrate operations with helicopters and the amphibious assault ship USS Boxer on Oct. 18, 2025, at Marine Corps Base Camp Pendleton.
(Gregory Bull / Associated Press)
The heightened military expenditure and troop deployment occur as Trump struggles to forge alliances for his proposed international coalition, aimed at dispatching warships to protect critical shipping routes and deter further threats to energy infrastructure in the Persian Gulf.
On Thursday, Trump stated that Iran “is on the verge of being destroyed,” yet securing the Iran-controlled Strait of Hormuz remains a challenge. He suggested that the U.S. was working to safeguard the strait not for its oil interests but “just to be nice” to countries that rely much more heavily on oil from that region.
“They complain about the exorbitant oil prices they are suffering, yet they refuse to assist in opening the Strait of Hormuz, a straightforward military action that is the main cause of these high oil prices. It is so easy for them to do, with hardly any risk involved. COWARDS, and we will REMEMBER!” Trump declared on Truth Social on Friday.
On Friday, the U.K. consented to allow American military forces to use British bases for operations “to reduce the missile sites and capabilities used for attacking ships in the Strait of Hormuz,” ministers announced in a written statement.
This decision comes amid ongoing Iranian attacks on Middle Eastern energy facilities, following Israeli strikes on Wednesday against Iran’s South Pars field — the largest natural gas field in the world. The fallout has drawn Gulf states into the conflict during the most significant energy supply disruption in history.
Iranian Shahed drones targeted Kuwait’s largest oil refinery on Friday. Similar incidents caused fires at Ras Laffan Industrial City in Qatar, halting energy production at the globe’s largest natural gas hub. Restoration efforts are anticipated to take years.
Additionally, United Arab Emirates air defense systems countered Iranian missiles overnight, while Saudi Arabia has indicated that it may respond with military force should Iran persist in attacking facilities within its borders.
An Israeli self-propelled howitzer artillery piece fires at southern Lebanon from a position in the upper Galilee in northern Israel on Friday.
(Jalaa Marey / AFP via Getty Images)
On Friday, Israel reported the elimination of Esmail Ahmadi, a senior intelligence officer in Iran’s Basij and deputy to its commander, in an airstrike. Officials described Ahmadi as a “critical pillar” of the Basij volunteer paramilitary force.
Despite Israel’s continuous targeted airstrikes in Tehran and the U.S. bolstering its military positioning nearby, the Islamic Republic remains steadfast.
Abolfazl Shekarchi, a senior spokesperson for Iran’s armed forces, warned that American and Israeli officials may face threats globally.
“From now on, according to our intelligence, even leisure and tourist destinations worldwide will not guarantee your safety,” Shekarchi said.
Oil prices have surged past $100 a barrel amid the turmoil.
Financial markets have reacted negatively, with Wall Street experiencing its fourth consecutive week of declines, as investors increasingly factor in the risk that rising energy prices could dampen economic growth while reigniting inflation. Analysts caution that persistently high crude prices may squeeze corporate profit margins and reduce consumer spending domestically and beyond.
The International Monetary Fund has indicated that the conflict could exacerbate inflation. The Federal Reserve is now facing renewed uncertainty as it contemplates whether to maintain higher interest rates for a longer duration in light of escalating energy costs.
During an event at the White House on Friday, Trump asserted that the U.S. military operations are “progressing exceptionally well in Iran.”
“The distinction between them and us is that they had a navy two weeks ago and now have none. It’s all at the ocean’s floor,” Trump stated. “Fifty-eight ships were destroyed in just two days, and we possess the greatest navy in the world. It’s not even close.”
The president did not entertain questions from the press but, in an unprompted comment, noted that the U.S. and Iran are not in discussions because their leaders “are all gone,” casting a shadow over the conflict’s exit strategy.
“We are struggling; we want to communicate with them, but there is no one to speak to,” he remarked. “We have no one to engage with, and you know what? We’re okay with that.”
