Washington DC [US], April 16: The United States is sending more than 10,000 additional troops to the Middle East before the end of April as Washington tries to increase pressure on Iran, US officials have told The Washington Post.
The newspaper, quoting current and former US officials speaking on condition of anonymity, reported on Tuesday that the US was sending about 6,000 troops on board the USS George HW Bush carrier and the ships escorting it to the region. Approximately 4,200 other troops from the Boxer Amphibious Ready Group and its embarked Marine Corps task force, the 11th Marine Expeditionary Unit, are expected to arrive near the end of the month, the report said.
It was previously announced that roughly 50,000 troops had been involved in operations in the war on Iran since its beginning on February 28. With the looming arrival of the USS George HW Bush, which is reportedly sailing around Africa, the number of carriers in the region will reach three.
The USS Abraham Lincoln and the USS Gerald Ford are in the Middle East and participated in the fighting against Iran.
The report, which Al Jazeera was unable to verify, comes as the US pressed ahead on Wednesday with a naval blockade it said had cut off maritime trade with Iran.
US Central Command (CENTCOM) said on social media overnight that its previously announced blockade had been "fully implemented" and that American forces "have completely halted economic trade going into and out of Iran by sea".
Source: Qatar Tribune
