U.S. Marine Unit Heading to Middle East

Marine Corps aviators could take on a larger role as the Iran conflict enters a precarious new phase.

Zach Vasile

Monday, March 16, 2026 at 03:30 PM ET

Verified

Edited By:

Travis Tingle

Marine Corps F-35B Lightning II [Credit: U.S. Navy]

Key Takeaways:

The U.S. is deploying an additional 5,000 Marines and sailors, including an amphibious group led by the USS Tripoli and F-35Bs, to the Middle East to support ongoing joint American-Israeli operations against Iran.
This deployment is part of a three-week-long conflict that has seen thousands of strikes on Iranian targets and escalating tensions in the region.
The newly deployed forces could be used for raids on Iranian territory and to help secure the Strait of Hormuz, which Iran has reportedly shut down.
The conflict has led to rising global energy prices and concerns of a severe energy crisis, exacerbated by Iran's actions affecting critical maritime transport.

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Additional U.S. Marines and sailors are being sent to the Middle East as joint American-Israeli operations against Iran enter their third week.

Defense officials cited by The Wall Street Journal said an amphibious group and an attached Marine expeditionary unit currently based in Japan are being deployed to the Middle East to support Operation Epic Fury. The group consists of several warships and around 5,000 Marines and sailors.

Heading up the deployment is the USS Tripoli, an amphibious assault ship. Tripoli carries F-35Bs, the short takeoff and vertical landing variant of the stealth strike fighter used by Marines, as well as support and attack helicopters.

U.S. F-35Bs have seen combat in Afghanistan, Iraq, and Yemen. It is not clear if the variant has already been deployed as part of the ongoing strikes on Iran.

With thousands of Iranian military and intelligence targets already hit, the conflict is entering an uncertain new phase. Iran has continued to bomb nearby U.S.-allied Gulf countries and has essentially shut down the Strait of Hormuz, a critical choke point for the maritime transport of oil and liquified natural gas. As a result, energy prices are rising worldwide, and some analysts predict the West could be facing its most severe energy crisis since the early 1970s.

Additional U.S. forces could play a role in securing the Strait of Hormuz for international shipping. The Trump administration has also reportedly considered seizing Kharg Island, home to a major Iranian oil terminal, in hopes of further destabilizing Iran’s economy.

The New York Times reported Saturday that the Marine unit being brought in from Japan could allow U.S. Central Command to launch raids on Iranian territory.