Quote:Republicans are bracing for President Trump to deploy U.S. troops on the ground in Iran as the conflict in the Middle East crosses into its third week with no signs of slowing down.
The administration is reportedly weighing missions to secure a safe passage for oil tankers through the Strait of Hormuz and overtake Iran’s Kharg Island, an industrial hub in the Persian Gulf that handles 90 percent of Iran’s oil exports.
Fears that Trump will decide to send troops into Iran have been fueled by news that the Pentagon is speeding up the deployment of thousands of additional Marines and sailors to the U.S. Central Command (Centcom) area, even as the president denied that he will be sending additional manpower.
“No, I’m not putting troops anywhere,” Trump said at the White House on Thursday.
“If I were, I certainly wouldn’t tell you,” the president told reporters.
The U.S. military buildup has continued to swell as the 11th Marine Expeditionary Unit, which consisted of at least 2,200 Marines, departed from San Diego on amphibious assault ship USS Boxer and will head to the Middle East, days after another unit of Marines and sailors was ordered to join from the U.S. Indo-Pacific Command.
https://thehill.com/policy/defense/57940...ops-trump/
