The Pentagon is deploying the USS Tripoli (LHA-7) to the Middle East as U.S. forces move to counter Iran’s influence over the strategic Strait of Hormuz, one of the world’s most important energy chokepoints.
The amphibious assault ship — which resembles a small aircraft carrier but is designed to operate closer to shore — is departing Japan carrying a Marine expeditionary force of roughly 5,000 Marines and sailors, according to reporting first revealed by The Wall Street Journal.
The deployment includes the 31st Marine Expeditionary Unit, one of the U.S. military’s forward-deployed rapid-response forces in the Indo-Pacific.
The force is expected to take about two weeks to reach the Middle East, according to Jennifer Griffin, chief national security correspondent for Fox News.
Griffin also reported that roughly 2,500 additional Marines are part of the repositioning.
US defense official confirms to Fox News that the Pentagon is sending the USS Tripoli, a Marine Amphibious Ready Group, and the 31st Marine Expeditionary Unit (MEU) to Mideast. The Tripoli is stationed out of Japan and would take about 2 weeks to get to the Mideast. Accompanying… https://t.co/NqqbcLT7DQ
— Jennifer Griffin (@JenGriffinFNC) March 13, 2026
Amphibious assault ships like the Tripoli function as floating bases capable of launching helicopters, tilt-rotor aircraft and Marine assault units in coastal combat operations.
The deployment comes as tensions escalate around the Strait of Hormuz, the narrow waterway between Iran and Oman through which a large share of the world’s oil supply passes.
Pentagon officials declined to comment on the details of the ship’s mission.
“Due to operational security, we do not discuss future or hypothetical movements,” a Defense Department official said.
Still, the movement of the Tripoli and its Marine contingent signals that the United States is reinforcing its military presence near one of the most strategically sensitive waterways on the planet.
More over at The New York Post:
Pentagon sending assault ship, Marine expeditionary unit toward Iran https://t.co/gKTrBDanjO pic.twitter.com/27HVL2awNq
— New York Post (@nypost) March 13, 2026
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