U.S. Marines Head to Middle East: A Bold Plan Taking Shape?
U.S. Marine forces are expected to arrive in the Middle East next week to help Washington reopen the Strait of Hormuz or carry out other covert missions, according to sources cited by The Wall Street Journal.
U.S. Marines conduct a small-boat raid exercise in Okinawa, Japan, last month (Photo: U.S. military).
Amid soaring global oil and gas prices driven by the blockade of the Strait of Hormuz, President Donald Trump is pressing aides and allies to find solutions—potentially with the U.S. Marine Corps playing a central role.
According to the WSJ, the Pentagon has deployed the 31st Marine Expeditionary Unit (MEU), a rapid-response force of about 2,200 Marines based in Okinawa, Japan, to the Middle East.
The move is seen as preparation for a potential military operation targeting Iran, aimed at securing control of the Strait of Hormuz, Kharg Island, and other strategic islands. These locations could serve as staging grounds or defensive bases against Iranian attacks on commercial shipping.
The MEU is a self-contained force of roughly 2,200 personnel, integrating ground troops, aviation, and logistics. As a core element of the Marine Air-Ground Task Force (MAGTF), it can operate independently from the sea, conducting amphibious assaults, evacuations, or high-intensity combat without immediate resupply.
Its four main components include:
Ground Combat Element: Marines equipped with armored vehicles and artilleryAviation Combat Element: Aircraft such as the MV-22 Osprey tiltrotor, helicopters, and F-35B fighter jetsCommand Element: Coordinates operationsLogistics Combat Element: Provides essential support, supplies, and maintenance
The unit is particularly specialized in amphibious and airborne assault operations.
Strait of Hormuz: Economic and Military Flashpoint
Iran’s blockade of the Strait of Hormuz—a critical waterway through which roughly 20% of the world’s oil and gas flows—has dealt a heavy blow to the global economy, driving up fuel prices and creating a major military and political challenge for the Trump administration.
U.S. forces are attempting to reopen the strait by targeting Tehran’s threat capabilities, including anti-ship missile sites, missile production and storage facilities, drones, and naval mines.
The United States Central Command (CENTCOM) says about 50,000 U.S. troops are currently deployed in the Middle East as part of the conflict with Iran. Since launching operations on February 28, the Pentagon has conducted more than 7,800 airstrikes, damaging or destroying over 120 Iranian vessels, according to a March 18 report from CENTCOM.
Most recently, on March 17, U.S. forces dropped bunker-buster bombs weighing more than two tons on fortified Iranian coastal positions used to store anti-ship cruise missiles.
Despite nearly three weeks of U.S.-Israeli strikes, Iran continues to target American forces and their allies in the region. Caitlin Talmadge of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology noted: “The U.S. has carried out thousands of sorties, but we are still not certain that all of Iran’s capabilities have been eliminated.”
Washington’s Strategic Options
Deploying a combat-ready unit like the 31st MEU gives President Trump additional options to pressure Tehran. Iran controls several small islands off its southern coast, where it maintains oil infrastructure and missile bases.
First, Kharg Island: Covering about 25 square kilometers, this island is Iran’s most economically vital, located roughly 20 km off its southwest coast in the Persian Gulf. It serves as the country’s primary oil export hub. On March 16, Trump threatened to strike its pipelines after U.S. forces had already targeted key military facilities there the previous week.
Rather than destroying Kharg’s oil infrastructure, U.S. Marines could seize the island and use it as leverage to reopen the strait.
Retired General Frank McKenzie explained: “The U.S. could destroy the oil infrastructure, which would cause irreparable damage to Iran’s economy and the global economy, or seize it as a bargaining chip without permanently harming global markets.”
Such an operation could be carried out by sea, with the amphibious assault ship USS Tripoli deploying landing craft and Marines. Alternatively, it could be conducted primarily by air, using MV-22 Ospreys and helicopters capable of vertical takeoff and landing from ships or nearby Gulf states.
Vice Admiral John Miller added: “U.S. Marines could also be deployed to seize control of other islands within the strait, positioning forces to intercept Iranian fast boats and shoot down missiles threatening maritime traffic.”
Kharg Island serves as a key transshipment hub for delivering Iranian crude oil to major Asian markets (Photo: Google Maps).
Second, Qeshm Island: Located at the entrance to the Strait of Hormuz, it serves as a safe harbor for Iranian naval forces and missiles, and hosts a major desalination plant. Its size and location allow Tehran to control shipping flows.
Third, Kish Island: A smaller economic hub west of Qeshm, featuring an airport.
Fourth, Hormuz Island: Situated east of Qeshm, where Iran stations small attack vessels.
Nicole Grajewski of Sciences Po noted that many of these locations are heavily fortified or were previously abandoned sites dating back to the Shah’s era.
Positioning Marines on offshore islands—rather than inside Iranian territory—could offer a loophole allowing Trump to claim he is keeping his promise not to deploy ground troops into Iran.
“I don’t see them going into Iran proper,” Miller said. “But deploying to surrounding islands in the Gulf could provide tactical advantages for a period of time.”
Potential Operation: A Daring Mission to Seize Nuclear Material
So far, the Trump administration has declined to disclose the exact purpose of deploying Marines to the Middle East. However, some sources suggest the president is considering another ground operation: seizing or destroying near weapons-grade nuclear material reportedly stored deep beneath a mountain in Isfahan.
According to The New York Times, “by any measure, this would be one of the boldest and riskiest military operations in modern U.S. history.” A major complication is that no one is certain where all the nuclear material is located.
If storage containers are breached, the released gas could be both toxic and radiologically destructive. If stored too closely together, there is also a risk of triggering a nuclear chain reaction.
Following extensive U.S. and Israeli strikes on its military infrastructure, Iran may now view its nuclear material as one of its final lines of defense.
George Perkovich of the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace said: “They need it more than ever—and are prepared to defend it.” He added that Iran appears to have carefully planned ahead of U.S.-Israeli operations, meaning Washington should assume Tehran has done the same for its nuclear storage sites.
