A Navy sailor stands watch on the USS Bataan as it transits the Suez Canal with the 26th Marine Expeditionary Unit on Aug. 6, 2023. Components of the Bataan Amphibious Ready Group and the Marine unit are deployed to the U.S. 5th Fleet area of operations to help ensure maritime security in the Middle East. (Nayelly Nieves-Nieves/U.S. Marine Corps)
More than 3,000 Marines and sailors sent to reinforce the U.S. presence in the Middle East are now in the region as part of a stepped-up push to counter Iran’s interference with commercial shipping in the Persian Gulf.
The Bataan Amphibious Ready Group and the 26th Marine Expeditionary Unit arrived Sunday after transiting the Suez Canal from the Mediterranean Sea, U.S. Naval Forces Central Command/U.S. 5th Fleet said in a statement the same day.
The Bataan group includes the amphibious assault ship USS Bataan, which can carry more than 24 rotary-wing and fixed-wing aircraft, including MV-22 Osprey tilt-rotor aircraft and AV-8B Harrier attack jets, 5th Fleet said. It also can carry several amphibious landing vessels.
The group includes Amphibious Squadron 8, Fleet Surgical Team 8, Tactical Air Control Squadron 21, Helicopter Sea Combat Squadron 26, Assault Craft Unit 4, Beach Master Unit 2 and the 26th Marine Expeditionary Unit, which is based at Camp Lejeune, N.C., according to the statement.
The dock-landing ship USS Carter Hall also is part of the group. It supports operations for various rotary-wing aircraft, tactical vehicles and amphibious landing craft, the Navy said.
About 100 Marines already are training in Bahrain for specialized defense units that will provide security aboard oil tankers and other commercial ships, Stars and Stripes reported Friday.
Dock landing ship USS Carter Hall transits the Suez Canal on Aug. 6, 2023, as a component of the Bataan Amphibious Ready Group. Elements of the group and the 24th Marine Expeditionary Unit are deployed to the U.S. 5th Fleet area of operations. (Matthew Romonoyske-Bean/U.S. Marine Corps)
The units will travel briefly aboard commercial vessels through sensitive areas, such as the Strait of Hormuz, at the request of shippers, among other criteria.
The step is unprecedented in the post-World War II era and clearly shows American commitment to ensuring that travel through the strait and nearby waters remains unrestricted, officials say.
On Saturday, Iranian news outlets said the country’s Revolutionary Guard Corps navy had been equipped with drones as well as cruise missiles and ballistic missiles with a range of about 186 to 621 miles, Reuters reported the same day.
An Iranian official said the U.S. wasn’t needed to provide security in the region, according to Reuters.
Last month, the Defense Department announced the deployment of additional forces to the Middle East to counter Iranian aggression in the Gulf region.
That came on the heels of Iran’s attempted seizures of two oil tankers in the Gulf of Oman in early July. Iranian naval forces fired on one of the ships. Those two attempts were the latest in a string of Iranian actions to harass oil tankers.
In late April, a Marshall Islands-flagged oil tanker headed to Texas was seized. Iran has harassed, attacked or seized 20 commercial ships since 2021, the Navy has said.
The amphibious assault ship USS Bataan passes under a bridge as it transits the Suez Canal with the 26th Marine Expeditionary Unit on Aug. 6, 2023. (Nayelly Nieves-Nieves/U.S. Marine Corps)
