Is this signaling a possible ground invasion in Iran? Nearly 2,200 U.S. Marines have gotten the call to be deployed to the Middle East. The Marines are part of a Marine Expeditionary Unit (MEU) that has been deployed in Japan. ABC News broke the story of the new deployment and added further details: A Marine expeditionary unit with 2,200 Marines aboard three U.S. Navy amphibious ships is being ordered to the Middle East, according to two U.S. officials. The 31st MEU is permanently deployed to Japan and operates in the INDO-PACOM region, but it is now being ordered to head to the Middle East. Its deployment does not mean that the unit is going to be used as a ground force for use in Iran, but it offers land, amphibious and aviation assets that can be available to military commanders if needed. This particular MEU also includes a squadron of F-35 fighter jets and a squadron of MV-22 tilt rotor Osprey aircraft. 2,200 Marines with the 31st Marine Expeditionary Unit, accompanied by the Tripoli Amphibious Ready Group: which consists of the USS Tripoli (LHA-7), USS San Diego (LPD-22), and USS New Orleans (LPD-18), alongside roughly 20 F-35B Lightning lls, have been ordered to deploy to the… pic.twitter.com/DmulCUmY6z — OSINTdefender (@sentdefender) March 13, 2026 The Marines are deployed at a time when Iran has been threatening to take full control of the Straight of Hormuz. CNBC reported Secretary of War Pete Hegseth has no worries over Iran’s move: Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth on Friday brushed aside concerns that the effective closure of the Strait of Hormuz because of the Iran war, which has spiked oil prices, would continue being a problem for the U.S. and the world for much longer. Iran has been “exercising sheer desperation in the Straits of Hormuz,” Hegseth said at a Pentagon press briefing. “We have been dealing with it, and don’t need to worry about it,” he said. The price of West Texas Intermediate crude oil on Friday morning was around $93 per barrel. A day before the war began on Feb. 28, a barrel of WTI was selling for about $67. Hegseth criticized media reports that claimed that before attacking Iran, the U.S. military lacked a plan to reopen the Strait of Hormuz, which is the world’s most critical oil shipping choke point.