Updated on: March 28, 2026 / 7:33 PM EDT / CBS/AP
More than 3,500 U.S. troops, including about 2,500 Marines aboard the amphibious assault ship USS Tripoli, arrived in the Middle East, U.S. Central Command announced Saturday, as strikes tied to the Iran war intensified.
CENTCOM said the Tripoli, flagship of the Tripoli Amphibious Ready Group and the 31st Marine Expeditionary Unit, arrived in its area of responsibility. The America-class “big deck” warship — recently ordered to the region after being based in Japan — can carry F-35s, Ospreys and other aircraft and brings transport, strike fighter and amphibious assault assets. The USS Boxer and two other ships, along with another Marine Expeditionary Unit, were also ordered to the region from San Diego.
CENTCOM said more than 11,000 targets have been struck since Operation Epic Fury began Feb. 28.
Secretary of State Marco Rubio said Friday the United States can meet its objectives “without any ground troops,” but added President Trump “has to be prepared for multiple contingencies” and that American forces are positioned to give the president “maximum optionality.”
The troop arrivals follow an Iranian strike on Saudi Arabia’s Prince Sultan air base that injured at least 10 U.S. personnel, two seriously, when Iran fired six ballistic missiles and 29 drones.
The war has disrupted global air travel, curtailed oil exports, driven up fuel prices and prompted countries to seek alternatives to the Strait of Hormuz, which Iran has effectively choked. Saudi Arabia has been rerouting millions of barrels through Bab el-Mandeb at the southern end of the Red Sea.
Iranian-backed Houthi rebels said Saturday they entered the month-old war, claiming a missile launch that Israel said it intercepted. Houthi military spokesman Brig. Gen. Yahya Saree later said the group launched a second strike on Israel; Israel did not immediately confirm intercepting projectiles from Yemen. Houthi involvement raises the risk to global shipping if they again target vessels in the Bab el-Mandeb Strait, analysts say.
Ahmed Nagi of the International Crisis Group warned that renewed Houthi attacks on commercial shipping would further push up oil prices and destabilize maritime security beyond the energy market. About 12% of global trade typically passes through Bab el-Mandeb; roughly 10% of global maritime trade and about 40% of container traffic transit the Suez Canal annually.
Between November 2023 and January 2025, Houthi attacks sank two vessels and struck more than 100 merchant ships with missiles and drones, actions they said were in solidarity with Palestinians in Gaza.
The Houthis, who have held Yemen’s capital Sanaa since 2014, had largely stayed out of the current conflict because of a fragile ceasefire with Saudi Arabia. Their entry complicates planning for U.S. carrier deployments: the USS Gerald R. Ford is in Croatia for repairs, and sending a carrier to the Red Sea could invite attacks similar to those faced by the USS Dwight D. Eisenhower in 2024 and the USS Harry S. Truman in 2025.
President Trump has given Iran until April 6 to reopen the Strait of Hormuz; Tehran says it has not entered negotiations. Trump envoy Steve Witkoff said Washington delivered a 15-point “action list” to Iran proposing a ceasefire and restrictions on Iran’s nuclear program, plus reopening the strait. Tehran rejected that proposal and offered a five-point plan that included reparations and recognition of sovereignty over the waterway.
Eleanor Watson contributed to this report.
