Iran War - US officials say thousands of marines and assault ship on way to region | BBC News

Thousands of US marines are heading for the Middle East, along with the USS Tripoli, an amphibious assault ship, according to senior US officials.

The task force is made up of around 5,000 troops, about half of them marines. The force is trained in specialist amphibious operations, including landings and securing maritime positions. The plan has not yes been publicly announced by the White House but is being briefed by senior US officials.

It comes as Iran is attacking shipping in the Strait of Hormuz - closing the key sea lane through which ships usually carry much of the world’s oil and natural gas supplies.

Fuel prices have surged since the start of the war, as Iran blocks the Strait and attacks tankers, as well as oil refineries and other installations in neighbouring countries that are allies of the US.

President Trump has promised to keep the Strait of Hormuz open, in what has become a key economic battleground in the war. He has said Iran will be “hit very hard” over the coming week.

Meanwhile the Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth said the US would continue to target Iran's leadership and claimed that the country's new Supreme Leader, Mojtaba Khamenei, is in hiding, “wounded” and “likely disfigured”.

In Iran, thousands of supporters of the regime have been taking part in mass rallies in the capital Tehran to mark Quds Day, an annual pro-Palestinian event.

Israel has been carrying out further attacks in southern Lebanon, against what it says are Hezbollah fighters supported by Iran.

Sophie Raworth presents BBC News at Ten reporting by Tom Bateman, Caroline Hawley, Faisal Islam, Paul Adams, Steve Rosenberg, Marc Ashdown and Orla Guerin.

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