More than 3,000 US troops reach Red Sea amid Iran tensions

More than 3,000 U.S. sailors and Marines reached the Red Sea on Sunday aboard the assault ship USS Bataan in response to Iran’s "harassment and seizures of merchant vessels," according to the U.S. Naval Central Forces Central Command.

“These units add significant operational flexibility and capability as we work alongside international partners to deter destabilizing activity and deescalate regional tensions caused by Iran’s harassment and seizures of merchant vessels earlier this year,” the U.S. Fifth Fleet spokesman Cmdr. Tim Hawkins said in a statement shared with The Hill. 

The arrival is part of a preannounced military deployment, the U.S. Naval Central Forces Command said. Hawkins said it signals the country's “strong, unwavering commitment to regional maritime security."

The assault ship arrived Sunday after traveling from the Mediterranean Sea through the Suez Canal. The U.S. Naval Central Forces Central Command said the USS Bataan and dock landing ship USS Carter Hall bring “additional aviation and naval assets, as well as more U.S. Marines and Sailors, providing greater flexibility and maritime capability to the U.S. 5th Fleet."

The U.S. Naval Central Forces Central Command also said the assault ship can carry more than two dozen rotary-wing and fixed-wing aircraft and “several ambitious landing craft.” The dock landing ship will be used in operations for multiple rotary-wing aircraft, tactical vehicles and amphibious landing craft. 

Since 2019, Iran has seized several ships in the strait, the narrow mouth of the Persian Gulf in an attempt to pressure the West over negotiations over its collapsed nuclear deal with world powers. Tensions have continued to rise since the Trump administration withdrew from Iran’s 2015 nuclear agreement and reinstated sanctions, according to The Associated Press.

The Associated Press contributed.