US troops participate in a maritime security operation in San Lorenzo, Esmeraldas Province, on the northern border of Ecuador, on July 15 (local time). (Photo is unrelated to the article.) [AFP]
US troops participate in a maritime security operation in San Lorenzo, Esmeraldas Province, on the northern border of Ecuador, on July 15 (local time). (Photo is unrelated to the article.) [AFP]

The United States is surging troops, medical personnel and advanced weapons into the Middle East to expand its military options against Iran, as tensions over a potential escalation mount following the deaths of three US soldiers in Jordan last weekend.

The Wall Street Journal reported Thursday, citing people familiar with the matter, that the US is reinforcing its military presence in the region to provide stronger options for a possible military response.

According to US government officials, special operations forces stationed on the US mainland moved to the Middle East over the past week. Fighter jet squadrons have been pushed to forward positions across the region, and long-range bombers at US and British bases have been placed on heightened alert ahead of potential additional operations.

About 150 additional medical personnel have recently been deployed to Landstuhl Regional Medical Center in Germany, a key facility for treating US service members wounded in the Middle East.

US President Donald Trump salutes during a dignified transfer ceremony at Dover Air Force Base in Delaware on Wednesday (local time). Three soldiers from a US Army air defense brigade were killed when an Iranian missile struck their barracks at a US air base in Jordan on Friday. [EPA]
US President Donald Trump salutes during a dignified transfer ceremony at Dover Air Force Base in Delaware on Wednesday (local time). Three soldiers from a US Army air defense brigade were killed when an Iranian missile struck their barracks at a US air base in Jordan on Friday. [EPA]

The buildup signals that Donald Trump is weighing an escalation of the US military response following the Iranian attack in Jordan that killed three American soldiers last weekend, the Wall Street Journal said.

US forces have now carried out airstrikes against Iran for 12 consecutive days. The New York Times and Iranian state media reported that explosions were heard early Thursday in Ahvaz, the capital of Khuzestan Province in southwestern Iran. A US missile also struck the outskirts of Ramshir, about 80 kilometers south of Ahvaz.

Explosions were also reported in Sirik in Hormozgan Province near the Strait of Hormuz, and near Bushehr in the south. Sirik is home to an Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps coastal missile base and communications towers, while Bushehr hosts a nuclear power plant. The US has continued to strike both areas since truce negotiations collapsed.

On Wednesday, Trump posted on Truth Social: "From this point forward, every time the Islamic Republic of Iran attacks a ship in the Strait of Hormuz with missiles, rockets, drones, or any other device or weapon, we will bomb and destroy one bridge or power plant" in Iran. He added that the targets would include bridges and power plants "in or near the capital, Tehran."

Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi fired back on X, formerly Twitter: "Our defense principles are clear. An eye for an eye."

However, retired Gen. Joseph Votel, a former commander of both US Central Command and Special Operations Command, cautioned that the buildup does not necessarily mean a large-scale military operation is imminent. "The key is to provide the president and the secretary of defense with as many options as possible," he said.

The US already has tens of thousands of troops deployed across the Middle East and Europe. The Navy is operating 17 warships in the Middle East, including two carrier strike groups, 11 destroyers and a Marine expeditionary unit, the Wall Street Journal noted.

Dana Stroul, who served as deputy assistant secretary of defense for the Middle East under the Joe Biden administration, said the Trump administration "has used military force every time it has built it up so far." She added, however, that "military force alone cannot solve the problem as long as the current Iranian regime remains in place. It is impossible to eliminate every missile and drone, and air and sea power alone cannot fundamentally change Iran's underlying strategy."


yckim6452@heraldcorp.com