U.S. Sends Something POWERFUL Toward the Strait of Horm… — Transcript

Iran believed that it held all of the cards in the Strait of Hormuz.

Sure, the regime's military infrastructure has been ruined, but fast boats in that strait still gave Iran leverage.

Not anymore.

The US just sent something to Iran that will change the entire war overnight, and it's heading to the Strait of Hormuz.

This is Iran's worst nightmare.

The one thing the regime never expected: US troops may be getting ready to enter Iran.

On March 14th, multiple outlets, including the BBC, reported that the US was sending more warships in the direction of Iran.

This alone would be newsworthy, as more naval strength also often adds up to more strikes on Iran's territory, as we've seen with America's carrier deployments over the past few weeks.

But this is different: the ships sailing toward Iran are led by the USS Tripoli, which is an amphibious assault ship that also happens to be leading an elite US Marine expeditionary unit toward the Middle East.

This is huge: amphibious ships and expeditionary units offer the clearest sign yet that the US is gearing up to put boots on the ground, and we'll explain why that might or might not be the case later in the video.

As for the group being sent, The War Zone, or TWZ, offers some more details: it says that the latest grouping of ships set sail after US Central Command received direct approval from the US Secretary of War, Pete Hegseth, to send them.

What's heading to Iran right now is an amphibious ready group, or ARG, the outlet says, which has an attached Marine expeditionary unit.

An ARG typically includes an assault ship, two transport docks, and a support vessel that carries an embarked Marine expeditionary unit (MEU) of at least 2,200 Marines.

And it's possible they may hold more: The New York Times suggests that about 2,500 Marines are en route to the Middle East, and it provides us with the name of the unit being sent: the 31st Marine Expeditionary Unit.

Right now, the USS Tripoli and the ships that it leads are sailing to the Middle East from their usual base in Japan, and we also note the Marines and sailors on these ships have been getting ready for something.

On March 13th, the US Indo-Pacific Command shared images of sailors on the USS Tripoli conducting a live-fire exercise the previous day, and while this was played off as a routine exercise, and it may well have been, the timing seems uncoincidental.

On March 12th, the exercise was taking place; two days later, the news broke that the USS Tripoli was on its way toward the Middle East, and here's where it gets really bad for Iran's regime.

This ARG and expeditionary unit may be the first of several: in an X post, Ian Ellis revealed that the US has other ARGs and task forces stationed in the Pacific region that could be ordered to Iran at any time.

Among them are Task Force Ashland, which is currently stationed in Thailand, and the USS Arlington, which is another amphibious warship that was reported on March 1st as conducting repeated loading operations out of Norfolk while surrounded by armed security boats.

Could this have been training for a deployment to Iran? We don't know for sure, but these kinds of exercises seem to be simulating the kinds of conditions the ship would face in the Strait of Hormuz.

Keep that waterway in mind because we'll be returning to it in a few moments, but beyond the task force and warship we just mentioned, Ian Ellis adds that there are three ARGs: the Iwo Jima, Boxer, and Kearsarge that are all in positions to join the USS Tripoli and its grouping, should the US want to call on them.

So what we may be seeing here is the start of something very big in terms of Marine deployment.

But even if it isn't, the USS Tripoli and its supporting ships alone tell Iran that the entire US posture in the war is about to change.

However, that change isn't going to be instant: an open-source intelligence update shared by MT Anderson on X notes that the USS Tripoli is moving at a very high speed toward the Middle East; this can be tracked by satellite photos, which show the ship's wake is large enough to indicate that it's going hell for leather to get to the Middle East.

However, even at such a high speed, the ship and its grouping still have to make it to the Middle East from where it's stationed in White Beach, which is in Okinawa, Japan; the warship was spotted approaching the Bashi Channel that lies between Taiwan and the Philippines on March 12th, and it may take another week or two before it arrives in the Middle East.

But that doesn't change the headline: the US is sending Marines and amphibious warships into the Middle East; this is Iran's worst nightmare, especially when it comes to the leverage that Iran has in the Strait of Hormuz.

But before we get into that, it's worth taking a closer look at what a Marine expeditionary unit is, as that gives us some hints about what the US may be considering with this latest deployment.

These types of units are among the most versatile that the US military has to offer, with The New York Times noting that they're often referred to as "America's 9-1-1 Force."

In other words, these are the units you call in when you have an urgent problem that needs to be solved: Marine expeditionary units have been used for everything from conducting counter-piracy operations to being the first to lay boots on the ground during major operations, such as they were during the war in Afghanistan back in 2001.

These are self-sustained and rapid response forces that are structured to offer air, ground, and logistical elements that are split into four groupings.

First up is the command element, which serves as the headquarters for the unit and offers support to all deployed forces; a ground combat element serves as the Marine expeditionary unit's heaviest hitter in terms of pure combat force.

That element typically contains a Marine infantry battalion, complete with artillery support, reconnaissance assets, a team of engineers, and amphibious vehicles used to make landings on enemy territory.

Throw in the aviation combat element and you get some air power added into the mix: a medium helicopter squadron that contains various models of transport choppers is part of this element; a Marine expeditionary unit may also bring fighter jets and attack helicopters into the theater, along with an air defense team and other aerial assets that support the soldiers on the ground.

Finally, there's the logistics combat element: transport, supplies, equipment, maintenance, and medical are all provided by this key supporting element, so this isn't the US sending a handful of soldiers into the Middle East.

This is an elite Marine unit, serving as part of a larger amphibious assault team that signifies a total posture shift for the US; the impact of that shift is going to be felt most heavily in the Strait of Hormuz.

Iran has been wreaking havoc in that strait, and it's clear to see why, even with its military infrastructure utterly devastated on the mainland: Iran has managed to maintain a focus on the Strait of Hormuz; fast boats operated by the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, or IRGC, along with drones launched from Iran itself, have been targeting the commercial vessels that combine to highlight the Strait of Hormuz as one of the world's most important waterways.

This is a passage of water that is just 31 miles wide at its entrance and exit, making it easy for Iran's boats to patrol, and it is key to the passage of 20 million barrels of oil every single day as of 2025.

Iran's actions in that strait, which have almost completely shut down the waterway, barring a handful of ships that dare to make the crossing, threaten the entire global economy; that's according to CBS News, who reported on March 15th that Iran is turning the strait into a choke point by targeting commercial shipping, thus raising oil prices substantially.

Right now, the outlet says, one of the US's key priorities is to wrest control of the Strait of Hormuz from the hands of the IRGC, which has already attacked at least 16 commercial vessels as of March 12th, killing eight people and causing one to go missing in the process.

And according to TWZ, only 77 ships have dared to cross the strait during the first half of March; for context, the same period in 2025 saw 1,229 passages through the Strait of Hormuz, so we're only seeing about a 16th of the traffic that should be moving through the strait actually getting through right now.

This is Iran's leverage, and these attacks are going to continue for as long as Iran and the IRGC are allowed to hold sway in the Strait of Hormuz.

The arrival of Marine expeditionary force to that strait is a posture shift that shows how the Iran war is moving into a new phase after the US has destroyed the country's military infrastructure via air; the arrival of this unit changes everything.

And by the way, this is The Military Show, and we bring you the full picture, not just the headlines; hit subscribe to make sure you're always ahead of the curve.

So, the posture shift: what the arrival of the USS Tripoli and 2,500 Marines does is give military commanders stationed in the region the option to carry out a wide variety of security missions in the Strait of Hormuz.

These missions might include the evacuation of passengers from stricken commercial ships, or, if the US does decide to put boots on the ground, limited operations against the ports and other locations from which Iran is sending its fast attack boats into the strait.

It's also interesting to note that the 31st Marine Expeditionary Unit that is steaming toward the Middle East as we speak is part of America's Indo-Pacific force posture; the US is reallocating key assets, albeit likely just for the short term, which sends a clear message that it's willing to weaken itself in the Indo-Pacific region to strengthen its posture in Iran.

In other words, the US isn't allowing Iran's actions in the Strait of Hormuz to cause it to back down; it's sending even more firepower into the Middle East.

This deployment comes about two weeks after the US launched Operation Epic Fury, and as Gulf News points out, it could also give the Pentagon the ability to launch raids against the islands in and around the Persian Gulf that the IRGC relies on for its Strait of Hormuz strategy.

So what we may see the 31st Marine Expeditionary Unit do is target missile batteries and drone launch sites on these islands, along with taking out whatever's left of Iran's mine-laying capabilities in the wake of the US having already destroyed 16 of Iran's mine-laying vessels, per US Central Command.

As we said, a Marine expeditionary unit heading to the Middle East provides the US with options, and according to Hegseth, there is a plan in place, even if the US isn't telling us specifically what that plan might be.

During a March 13th press conference, Hegseth said, "The only thing prohibiting transit in Hormuz right now is Iran shooting at shipping; it is open for transit should Iran not do that."

An obvious statement, perhaps, but this also gives us a hint about what's happening in the mind of the US Secretary of War; Hegseth claims that the US is already dealing with Iran's attacks on commercial shipping, with TWZ adding that he said that the US isn't going to allow the Strait of Hormuz to remain contested.

So the US has some kind of plan; the question now is simple: what is the plan? Boots on the ground seems to be an increasing likelihood, so stick with us as we'll be exploring what that might mean for the future of Operation Epic Fury.

However, simply having the versatility and variety of options that we've already mentioned could be what Hegseth has in mind: a Marine expeditionary unit can be used to support America's aerial operations against Iran, for instance; TWZ said that these units can provide additional aircraft, up to and including F-35s, to execute missions.

Whether those missions will be on the Iranian mainland or conducted at sea remains to be seen; in the latter instance, the US may be planning on having a few fighter jets take to the skies over the Strait of Hormuz, where they could fire on Iranian fast boats and drones.

The outlet notes that the USS Tripoli in particular has been built with this sort of purpose in mind, and that it can even be turned into an F-35 Lightning carrier if needed; maybe that's the plan.

The arrival of the 31st Marine Expeditionary Unit in the Middle East could be a way for the US to insert a carrier-like strike force into the Strait of Hormuz without diverting the focus of the carriers already has in the region; add the Marines themselves conducting crisis missions such as search and rescue for commercial vessels that Iran strikes, and you have what amounts to an escort being provided to the ships trying to transit the strait; it's not a huge escort, granted, but it's one that allows for rapid responses to threats posed in the Strait of Hormuz.

Another possibility is that the US may use its Marines and amphibious attack boats to attack islands in and around the Persian Gulf; we saw something like this with the bombing of what The Wall Street Journal calls "Iran's most strategic economic asset," Kharg Island.

The launching point for 90% of Iran's oil exports, that island was hit with what amounts to a warning shot, as the US took out infrastructure but left most of Iran's oil assets untouched.

US President Donald Trump has said that the US would reconsider its decision to leave Iran's oil alone if Iran refuses to reopen the Strait of Hormuz; could the Marines and amphibious ships heading to the Middle East serve as a reinforcement of that threat?

It's possible; it's also notable that Iran owns over 30 islands in the Persian Gulf region, only some of which are open to visitors; we mentioned earlier that amphibious landings on these islands may allow the US to take control of patches of land that are likely serving as launching points for Iran's fast boats and drones; with that control would come the whittling away of the leverage that Iran holds via the Strait of Hormuz.

So the US may be setting up for a future where it oversees the Strait of Hormuz by taking over key islands from right under the nose of the struggling Iranian regime; all the while, the US would continue to launch air strikes against Iran and hold the ever-present threat of future attacks against Kharg Island over the collective head of the Iranian regime.

Finally, there's the possibility that Trump said the US was nowhere near approaching at the beginning of March, putting boots on the ground; we mentioned earlier that a Marine expeditionary unit, specifically the 15th unit, was the first conventional US force that went in on the ground in Afghanistan back in 2001.

That's a fact that can't be ignored now that a similar unit is heading in Iran's direction, as it means history has shown that Marine expeditionary units have served as the spearheads for larger ground assaults in the past; according to Bloomberg, Trump is still wrestling with the idea of placing boots on the ground, as it would mean putting US troops in the firing line directly, which has the potential to send shockwaves through his base of support back home.

Still, it's an increasing possibility, and if the US does send soldiers into Iran, there are a few obvious targets that it could aim for; taking Kharg Island, along with some other islands, is the most obvious of these targets for the reasons we mentioned earlier.

Bloomberg adds that the US may want to gain control over large amounts of enriched uranium that are in Iran's possession; this is the type of target that the US and Israel struck during Operation Midnight Hammer back in June, and there is evidence that B2 bombers launched massive ordnance penetrators at more of Iran's underground facilities during Operation Epic Fury.

However, to prevent Iran from using these types of facilities altogether, troops would be needed on the ground to take full control, thus preventing a dirty bomb scenario.

But there's another possibility, as Bloomberg explains: "A third mission would be partnering with the Central Intelligence Agency and Israel's Mossad to send small teams into Iran to connect with the political opposition to form a true resistance movement."

And as crazy as this idea sounds, it's also one that seems to closely align with how the US envisions regime change happening in Iran; in the wake of the initial strikes against Iran's regime on February 28th, Trump even declared to Iran's people.

"When we are finished, take over your government; it will be yours to take," The New York Times reports.

And though Trump has backtracked on those comments a little since, noting that it's a pretty big ask for the regular Iranian people to rise up when there are still members of the IRGC in the streets gunning down those who protest Iran's regime, it still seems clear that the US envisions a future where it serves in a supporting role for an anti-regime movement in Iran.

Could that be the role that the 31st Marine Expeditionary Unit plays? There are a lot of risks involved with this potential approach: Mossad and the CIA will need to already have contacts on the ground in Iran, along with enough confidence in these contacts to know that they'll work to form an anti-regime army that can operate with help from the US.

But in this scenario, the US may use the 31st Marine Expeditionary Unit to take key military and economic nodes, such as Kharg Island, while providing training and a through-line of weapons to a resistance movement focused on toppling the Iranian regime on the mainland; plenty of Iran's military firepower has been ruined by the US.

With organization, money, and weapons, a resistance movement would be in the best position that it's been since the Iranian Revolution to make a move; Marines and special operatives from the US could tip the scales in favor of those anti-regime revolutionaries.

It may sound like an insane scenario, but if it comes to pass, Iran's leverage in the Strait of Hormuz would disappear, and the country's regime wouldn't be far behind; and watching from the sidelines is Russian President Vladimir Putin; none of this was supposed to happen for Putin, who had been using Iran to build Russia's influence in the Middle East,

but it is, and the collapse of Iran's regime would have massive ramifications for the Russian president; find out what those ramifications are by watching our video, and if you enjoyed this video, make sure you're subscribed to The Military Show so you never miss our latest analysis of the US moves in Iran, and thank you for watching.