What's Washington seeking to achieve with a military buildup in the Middle East?

The USS Gerald R. Ford aircraft carrier arrives in Split, Croatia, on March 28, 2026. [Xinhua] US President Donald Trump said on Saturday he would prefer to "take the oil in Iran" and suggested seizing Kharg Island, the Islamic Republic's oil export hub. The remarks appear to shed light on Washington's possible objectives amid an ongoing military buildup in the Middle East, with more than 3,500 U.S. troops deployed to the region and the Pentagon said to be preparing for weeks of ground operations in Iran. What are the latest U.S. military moves? Is Washington seeking to force Tehran into negotiations or prepare for a further escalation of military operations? Troop buildup As the conflict enters its second month, U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) announced on Saturday that a task force of 3,500 Marines and sailors aboard USS Tripoli arrived in the Middle East on Friday. Serving as the flagship of the Tripoli Amphibious Ready Group and 31st Marine Expeditionary Unit, the America-class amphibious assault ship is carrying transport and strike fighter aircraft, as well as amphibious assault and tactical assets, CENTCOM said on social platform X. The arrival of Tripoli is keeping the American troop levels in the Middle East above 50,000, The New York Times quoted a U.S. military official as saying on Sunday. Another group is expected to reach the region in the second week of April. U.S. media reported on March 20 that the amphibious assault ship USS Boxer, accompanied by the dock-landing ship USS Comstock and amphibious transport dock USS Portland, had departed San Diego, California, with the 11th Marine Expeditionary Unit aboard, comprising about 2,500 Marines. Together, the two deployments enable rapid precision strikes and vertical assault operations without reliance on fixed regional bases. As the San Diego Union-Tribune reported on Friday, such deployments are specifically designed for such missions as island raids. Reuters reported Tuesday that the Pentagon is expected to deploy 3,000 to 4,000 troops from the elite 82nd Airborne Division to the region, which could create a rapid-entry force capable of launching the initial phase of a joint ground operation on short notice. Moreover, the Pentagon is seeking to send up to 10,000 additional ground troops to the region, The Wall Street Journal reported on Thursday, citing Department of Defense officials. If approved by Trump, the United States could soon have more than 17,000 ground troops positioned near Iran, according to the Journal. Ground offensive possibility The Pentagon has reportedly been considering military options that could include ground forces, although Trump has not approved any of those plans, according to multiple news outlets. Military experts said that the scale of additional U.S. troop deployments appears consistent with plans for discrete and time-limited operations rather than a sustained ground campaign. Ruben Stewart, a senior fellow at the International Institute for Strategic Studies, told CNBC that the number of forces being prepared does not align with a prolonged ground operation. Potential military objectives could include seizing strategic Iranian island of Kharg, or Iran's nuclear stockpile, said Daniel Davis, a senior fellow and military expert at Defense Priorities."The overall idea is to deny Iran's capabilities to use those islands," said Kevin Donegan, former commander of the U.S. Navy's Fifth Fleet. Donegan told CNBC that "the mission is absolutely executable," and the key question is how long it would take to complete the operation and to ensure the normal flow through the Strait of Hormuz. Former NATO Supreme Allied Commander James Stavridis suggested a blockade of the island as a "less risky option" than seizure, saying it would likely result in fewer casualties while achieving a similar economic effect. Any island invasion "would likely be far from surgical ... and still leave Iran with plenty of other potential steps to create mayhem and improve its bargaining position," said Stavridis. But Aaron MacLean, a senior fellow at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies, warned that any operation targeting Iran's nuclear material could not only be "one of the riskiest special operations missions in American history, but very possibly the largest," CBS reported Saturday. Negotiation leverage The troop buildup could provide Washington with additional diplomatic and economic leverage while preparing for more decisive action if diplomacy stalls, analysts said. "Job number one is feeding the strategic narrative that we're serious about this, and the president has options," retired U.S. General Joseph Votel told the Journal. "There's clearly a big information component to this." By bolstering its military presence while refraining from immediate strikes, Washington appears to be applying calibrated pressure on Iran, seeking to push it toward negotiations while avoiding full-scale escalation, according to media reports. Trump on Sunday floated the possibility of American forces seizing Kharg Island. "Maybe we take Kharg Island, maybe we don't. We have a lot of options," he said in an interview published early Monday by the Financial Times. "It would also mean we had to be there for a while." Control of the island would give Washington economic leverage over negotiations with Iran, given its status as "the main node" of Iran's economy, said Petras Katinas, a researcher at the London-based Royal United Services Institute. Israel's Channel 12 reported on Tuesday that the United States had sent Tehran a 15-point peace plan, via Pakistan, in an attempt to end the war with Iran, which Tehran has officially rejected and responded with its own five-point proposal. Iran's Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf on Sunday accused Washington of secretly plotting a ground attack despite talking publicly about negotiations. Diplomatic efforts continue, with Pakistan emerging as a key intermediary between Washington and Tehran, relaying messages and coordinating backchannel communications.

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