Trump responds to whether to increase troops in the Middle East

On March 19, Xinhua News Agency reported from Washington that U.S. President Trump, when answering media questions at the White House, was asked whether he plans to send more troops to the Middle East during military operations against Iran, stating, “I will not deploy troops anywhere. If I were to do so, I certainly wouldn’t tell you. But I am not deploying troops.”

Earlier, international media cited U.S. officials and informed sources reporting that the Trump administration is considering sending thousands of U.S. troops to the Middle East to support military operations against Iran.

Trump also claimed that the U.S. could seize Iran's oil export hub, Khark Island, at any time. He stated that the reason U.S. forces did not bomb the oil facilities during a previous attack on the island was that rebuilding would take years.

According to an earlier report by The Wall Street Journal, the U.S. is increasing troop deployments to the Middle East, with approximately 2,200 Marines from the 31st Marine Expeditionary Unit aboard the amphibious assault ship USS Tripoli, which has set sail from Japan to the Middle East and is expected to arrive in about a week. The U.S. may send this unit to occupy Khark Island as leverage to force Iran to open the Strait of Hormuz.

U.S. media reported that earlier this week, the USS Tripoli had already sailed to waters near Singapore.