The Pentagon has dispatched the amphibious assault ship USS Tripoli and roughly 2,500 US Marines to the Middle East, according to media reports. The deployment signals Washington’s readiness to expand military operations as strikes against Iran increase.
BY PC Bureau
March 13, 2025: US president Donald Trump said Friday that the United States had carried out heavy air strikes on military targets on Iran’s key oil hub, Kharg Island, and indicated that the US Navy would soon begin escorting tankers through the vital Strait of Hormuz.
The announcement came as several senior Iranian officials joined a defiant pro-government rally in Tehran, marching alongside demonstrators waving banners reading “Death to America” and “Death to Israel.”
As US air strikes intensified, Iran launched a fresh wave of drone and missile attacks targeting Israel and several Gulf states.
Meanwhile, fighting between Israel and the Iran-backed militant group Hezbollah continued in Lebanon. The Lebanese health ministry said an Israeli strike on a primary healthcare centre in southern Lebanon killed at least 12 medical personnel on Friday.
Lebanese authorities say Israeli attacks aimed at weakening Hezbollah have killed at least 773 people in the country so far.
Kharg Island Strikes
In a post on his Truth Social platform, Trump said US forces had struck military targets on Kharg Island — which handles nearly all of Iran’s crude exports — in what he called “one of the most powerful bombing raids in the history of the Middle East.”
He added that the United States had deliberately avoided hitting oil infrastructure on the island — for now.
“However, should Iran, or anyone else, do anything to interfere with the free and safe passage of ships through the Strait of Hormuz, I will immediately reconsider this decision,” Trump said.
With global oil prices surging, Trump was asked when the US Navy would begin escorting commercial tankers through the strategic waterway.
“It’ll happen soon, very soon,” he replied.
Iranian missile and drone strikes have already slowed maritime traffic through the Strait of Hormuz, a corridor through which roughly one-fifth of the world’s crude oil and liquefied natural gas normally passes.
US Reinforcements Move In
The United States and Israel had previously avoided striking Kharg Island directly, but US officials had reportedly discussed the possibility of capturing the island.
Reports in The Wall Street Journal and The New York Times said the Pentagon had dispatched the Japan-based amphibious assault ship USS Tripoli (LHA-7) to the region, carrying roughly 2,500 US Marines.
Late Friday, powerful explosions were heard across Tehran after Washington vowed to intensify air strikes. Iranian state media said a new wave of missiles had been launched toward Israel, though Israeli rescue workers reported no casualties.
Explosions were also heard in Doha early Saturday. Qatar’s defence ministry said its air defences intercepted missiles targeting the Gulf state.
Saudi Arabia said its forces intercepted dozens of drones on Friday, while Turkey said NATO systems shot down a ballistic missile launched from Iran — the third such interception since the war began.
“Moments ago, at my direction, the United States Central Command executed one of the most powerful bombing raids in the History of the Middle East, and totally obliterated every MILITARY target in Iran’s crown jewel, Kharg Island… Iran has NO ability to defend anything that we… pic.twitter.com/2iEzCOyA3P
— The White House (@WhiteHouse) March 13, 2026
Iran Leadership Uncertainty
Iran’s leadership is seeking to project stability despite the death of Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei at the start of the US-Israeli campaign on February 28.
His son, Mojtaba Khamenei, was named the new supreme leader but has not appeared publicly and is reportedly wounded.
Washington has announced a $10 million reward for information about Mojtaba Khamenei’s whereabouts.
READ: Iran Reveals ‘Missile City’ Stocked With Kamikaze Naval Drones
War’s Growing Toll
US Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth said the American military would carry out heavier bombing on Friday than on any previous day of the conflict.
The Pentagon says US and Israeli forces have struck more than 15,000 targets across Iran in the past two weeks. Israel’s military says it alone has conducted 7,600 strikes, most aimed at Iran’s missile programme.
The conflict has rattled global markets and driven oil prices sharply higher. Brent crude has surged more than 42 percent, remaining above $100 a barrel on Friday.
Inside Iran, the humanitarian situation is worsening. Authorities have imposed a nationwide internet blackout, while residents report shortages of cash, food and medicine.
The UN refugee agency estimates that up to 3.2 million people have been displaced within Iran since the war began.
Iran’s health ministry said earlier this month that more than 1,200 people had been killed, though the figure has not been independently verified.
The United States has lost 13 military personnel during the conflict, including six crew members from a refuelling aircraft that crashed in Iraq in an incident officials said was not caused by hostile fire.
