Overview
- - U.S. Central Command said the amphibious assault ship USS Tripoli arrived with more than 3,500 sailors and Marines from the 31st Marine Expeditionary Unit, lifting the regional U.S. footprint above 50,000.
- - The Pentagon has moved about 2,000 paratroopers from the 82nd Airborne into position near Iran’s oil hub at Kharg Island, with Army Rangers and Navy SEALs added to give commanders rapid options.
- - Planners are discussing risky missions that include seizing a cache of enriched uranium tied to the 2025 Fordow blast, taking control of Kharg Island, reopening the Strait of Hormuz, or striking nuclear-linked sites such as Isfahan.
- - Naval airpower is being rebalanced as the carrier Gerald R. Ford undergoes repairs in Croatia after a fire, with the USS Boxer en route and the George H. W. Bush strike group deploying to cover the gap, according to reports.
- - Iran has warned it would retaliate and mine the Persian Gulf, a threat that could endanger tankers carrying about one-fifth of the world’s oil and put crews and regional ports at greater risk.