As speculation increases over a possible US ground operation against Iran, the amphibious assault ship USS Tripoli, believed to be carrying around 1,800 Marines, is in the Indian Ocean, US Central Command (CENTCOM) said in a social media post Monday.
A photo showed the 45,000-ton warship steaming in the Indian Ocean on Sunday, according to the CENTCOM post. It did not indicate how far the ship is from Iran.
The Tripoli is carrying troops from the 31st Marine Expeditionary Unit (MEU), based in Okinawa, according to photos from March 26 posted on a Defense Department website. The photos show Marines participating in a “ship defense exercise.”
The Tripoli can carry about 1,850 Marines, along with its crew of 1,200 sailors, according to a Navy fact sheet. The amphibious transport dock USS New Orleans, part of the Tripoli Amphibious Ready Group (ARG), can carry an additional 700 Marines.
US President Donald Trump has suggested US forces could seize Iran’s Kharg Island, through which 90% of Tehran’s oil exports flow. Iran has threatened wipe out any US troops attempting to land on its territory as well as ramp up attacks on global oil supplies.
Along with the 31st MEU Marines aboard the Tripoli, the 11th MEU with as many as 2,200 Marines has reportedly been ordered to the Middle East.
The US Naval Institute’s Fleet Tracker released Monday showed the Boxer ARG at Pearl Harbor, Hawaii, a three- to four-week trip from the Persian Gulf. Defense Department photos showed Boxer units training at sea on March 28.
Along with the Marines, about 1,000 troops from the US Army’s 82nd Airborne Division have reportedly been ordered to the Middle East.
