THOUSANDS of battle-ready US Marines are surging towards the Middle East, poised to strike Iran within days if high-stakes secret talks collapse.
A powerful amphibious force of around is set to enter the region on Friday.
Troops from the 31st Marine Expeditionary Unit fire during a live-fire deck shoot aboard the forward-deployed amphibious assault ship USS New Orleans (LPD-18)Credit: Polaris
The unit is a rapid-response force trained for amphibious ground and aviation combat and logistical supportCredit: AFP
The force will be built around the amphibious assault ship USS Tripoli (pictured)Credit: U.S. Marine Corps photo by Lance Cpl. Christopher Lape
That is the very same day ‘s ultimatum to Tehran expires.
Military chiefs say it would take just days for the unit to reach flashpoints waters near the Strait of Hormuz – putting boots on standby as tensions hit boiling point.
Another Marine unit – the California-based 11th Expeditionary Unit – has also been ordered in as seems to be preparing for a sustained fight if diplomacy fails.
Around 2,200 troops from the elite – are spearheading the push aboard the USS Tripoli and USS New Orleans.
They are a rapid-response unit trained for amphibious warfare, air assaults and frontline logistics.
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Operating from sea, they can strike fast using F-35B jets, Osprey aircraft and attack helicopters before launching ship-to-shore raids with artillery and armoured vehicles.
The troops are ideal for seizing islands, clearing threats and escorting tankers through the Strait using counter-drone systems and electronic jamming.
The massive deployment comes as frantic back-channel diplomacy races against the clock.
Trump’s envoy Steve Witkoff has reportedly flown to Pakistan in a last-ditch bid to broker peace, with Islamabad offering to mediate between Washington and Tehran.
There are even claims a dramatic face-to-face summit could happen within days, with Vice President potentially representing the US.
Insiders say talks are circling around a 15-point deal that would force to ditch its nuclear ambitions and missile programme.
An Israeli source told Axios: “The Iranians were forthcoming, and the Americans wanted to move as well because of the and the prices.”
Around 2,200 US Marines aboard the USS Tripoli and USS New Orleans are deploying to the Middle East, poised for potential actionCredit: Polaris
The 31st Marine Expeditionary Unit (MEU) conducting flight operations with an AH-1Z Viper attack helicopter from the USS New OrleansCredit: Polaris
An F-35B Lightning II fighter aircraft assigned to the 31st Marine Expeditionary UnitCredit: Alamy
Trump himself insisted: “Fifteen points. They’re not going to have a nuclear weapon. That’s number one, two, and three.”
But Tehran has flatly denied everything.
Iranian speaker Mohammad-Bagher Ghalibaf blasted: “No negotiations whatsoever were held with the , and fake news is being used to manipulate the and oil markets and to escape the quagmire in which the US and are stuck.”
Despite the war of words, ‘s feared all-out missile barrage across the Gulf has so far failed to materialise.
Instead, the regime has launched limited missile strikes, including attacks on Israel, while threats against the US have largely fizzled.
But that may not be by choice, as intelligence suggests Iran’s missile arsenal has been hammered – slashed from around 2,500 to just 1,000.
According to The Times , daily launches have plunged by 90 per cent, with Tehran now firing only around 10 missiles a day.
Experts believe the regime is increasingly resorting to crude but deadly cluster munitions to make up for dwindling firepower.
Still, the threat remains dangerous as with even small attacks are capable of crippling global oil supplies through the Strait of Hormuz.
On the ground, Israel has made clear it is not slowing down – regardless of Trump’s diplomatic push.
Tehran bombed several boats going through the strait last weekCredit: Reuters
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu vowed: “We are smashing the missile programme and the nuclear programme, and we continue to deal severe blows to Hezbollah.”
He added: “We are continuing to strike in both Iran and Lebanon.”
Israeli forces have continued pounding Iranian targets, including nuclear scientists and weapons sites, in a relentless campaign to dismantle the regime’s war machine.
Trump had earlier threatened to “obliterate” Iran’s plants before .
He said Tehran was on the brink of agreeing to “no more wars” and “no more nuclear weapons”.
But Iranian officials dismissed the claims as “fake news” and warned of “special events” targeting Israel and US allies.
Behind the scenes, intermediaries including , Turkey and Pakistan are scrambling to keep talks alive – fearing a full-scale war that could send global markets into meltdown.
It comes as Trump revealed he is
The US president said he is in contact with someone “the most respected as the leader”, but not the Ayatollah.
He added: “No-one has heard from him, every once in a while we see a statement made but we don’t know if he’s living”, referring to Mojtaba Khamenei, as reports point to hardliner Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf as the man fronting talks.
Trump has even floated , saying the Strait of Hormuz could be run “jointly” with Tehran.
He said: “It’ll be jointly controlled… Maybe me, maybe me… Me and the Ayatollah, whoever the Ayatollah is, whoever the next Ayatollah [is],” as he claimed the route could reopen “real soon” under a deal.
How Trump’s marines are gearing up to storm Iran’s ‘unsinkable’ island fortresses to unlock Strait of Hormuz
by Katie Davis, Deputy Foreign Editor
PLANS have been drawn up for Donald Trump’s marines to storm Iran’s vital island fortresses to unlock the Strait of Hormuz, insiders told The Sun.
A could be gearing up to take the Iranian bases dominating entrances to the key waterway.
B-2 strategic and Abu Musa and also launch sites dug into mainland coastal cliffs earlier this week, dropping 5,000lb GBU-72 deep penetrator bombs.
In operations that usually precede ground assaults, low flying Apache helicopters and A-10 warthogs are now strafing IRGC fortifications, firing hellfire missiles and forward mounted 30mm chain cannons to eliminate any resistance.
CENTCOM commander admiral Brad Cooper said: “The aims to end Iran’s ability to project power and disrupt shipping in the straits of Hormuz.”
Following any capture, a stay-on force may be required to set up fire bases – temporary military facilities – equipped with missiles, sophisticated radar and to protect the Strait, intelligence sources told The Sun.
A stay-on-force of small unit may be required to set up temporary military facilities, known as fire bases.
They would be equipped with missiles, sophisticated radar and drones to protect the strategic waterway and provide staging areas for ground raids on IRGC naval bases, intelligence sources told The Sun.
The 2,200-strong Marine Expeditionary Unit ordered to set sail to the Persian Gulf from their home base in last Saturday has been training for island-hopping operations.
An ex-Marine officer and career intelligence official, speaking on the condition of anonymity, told The Sun: “They will take the Hormuz island missile and drone sites.
“Plans are drawn up for that.”
V-22 Osprey rotor-wing aircraft that take off and land like helicopters but fly like planes would initially airlift marines from the amphibious landing ship USS Tripoli to island points.
The Tripoli was recently converted into a pocket aircraft carrier for airborne operations that can be launched from up to 200m off shore.
This reduces the mothership’s exposure to anti-ship missiles and danger to landing craft from sea mines.
Space on the Tripoli that once held hovercraft – such as giant inflatable landing boats – has been turned into a hangar for aircraft maintenance and extra storage for parts, ammunition and supplies.
Covered by missile firing viper attack helicopters off the Tripoli, CH-53 Sea Stallion helicopters armed with .50 chain guns would insert advance teams of Force Recon units to conduct in depth reconnaissance and set up sniper positions to cover the main force.
The advance teams would call in air strikes by F-35 Stealth aircraft flying off Tripoli to flatten pockets of resistance that may have survived the heavy B-2 bombings before the main force lands.
With their beachheads secure, the marines would install air defence and radar systems to closely track air and sea traffic, and fuel weapon resupply posts for continuous helicopter re-provisioning and support.
Carefully camouflaged HIMARS batteries firing lethally accurate long-range ATACAMs would be erected to neutralise IRGC threats within a 300-mile radius.
And covert marine firebases could also operate from the coasts of Oman facing Iran across the narrow Hormuz straits.
Eze Chidiebere Paul
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