More than three thousand U.S. Sailors and Marines arrived on Saturday to the Middle East, rekindling speculation on imminent ground operations in Iran as the U.S.-Israel offensive on Iran enters its 5th week.
“U.S. Sailors and Marines aboard USS Tripoli (LHA 7) arrived in the U.S. Central Command area of responsibility, March 27,” U.S. Central Command captioned a post with photos of military teams on X.
“The America-class amphibious assault ship serves as the flagship for the Tripoli Amphibious Ready Group / 31st Marine Expeditionary Unit composed of about 3,500 Sailors and Marines in addition to transport and strike fighter aircraft, as well as amphibious assault and tactical assets,” the post added.
At the same time, on U.S. soil, anti-Trump “No Kings” rallies pop up in thousands of U.S. cities decrying the President’s aggressive deportation efforts, war in Iran and other policies.
U.S. ground operation plans in Iran remain unclear
Four-nation talks were held on Sunday in Islamabad, where the Foreign Affair Ministers of Pakistan, Turkey, Saudi Arabia and Egypt met to discuss ways to halt the Iran war.
While U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio said on Friday that the US could achieve its goals in Iran “without any ground troops,” the Washington Post quoted U.S. officials as saying the Pentagon was preparing for weeks of ground operations in Iran, adding that it was not yet clear if President Donald Trump would approve such plans.
Similarly, Reuters has reported that the Pentagon has considered military options that could include ground forces.
In any case, Iran says their troops are ready to respond to a potential U.S. ground attack, and accused Washington of preparing a ground operation even as the Trump administration sought to start negotiations with Tehran.
Iranian Navy Chief of Staff Sahram Irani said today that the USS Abraham Lincoln would be targeted if it came within range, stressing that the Islamic Republic would “take revenge” for the sinking of the Iranian frigate Dena on March 4, AMNA reports.
“As soon as the strike group of the USS Abraham Lincoln aircraft carrier is within range, we will avenge the blood of the martyrs of the Dena warship by firing various types of missiles,” Irani said.
Iran strikes Israel and U.S. targets in Gulf countries
Iran continued to hit Israeli soil with ballistic missiles on Sunday and struck additional U.S. military targets in Gulf countries. A E-3 Sentry military aircraft, valued at 300 million U.S. dollars, was reportedly split in two at the Prince Sultan air base in Saudi Arabia, the BBC has confirmed.
Tehran has also claimed Iranian drones hit at the Muwaffaq Salti U.S. base in Jordan.
Following the involvement of Pro-Iranian Houthi rebels in the war on Saturday, with the firing of two ballistic missiles against Israel, the EU maritime security body has warned ships to avoid Yemeni territorial waters.
The Greek Minister of Foreign Affairs, George Gerapetritis held a telephone conversation with his Iranian counterpart, Seyed Abbas Araghchi, on Saturday, focused on the situation in the broader Middle East. Gerapetritis stressed the need for a diplomatic solution and for full respect of International Law and freedom of navigation.
According to ERT, the Greek official expressed his concern for the numerous Greek-owned ships stranded in the Persian Gulf amidst the conflict and stressed that the safety of crews and ships must be assured.
