Donald Trump orders fresh troop surge to West Asia despite saying war is almost over
&imwidth=600&imheight=450&format=webp&quality=medium "Donald Trump orders fresh troop surge to West Asia despite saying war is almost over")
An F-35B stealth fighter jet is prepared for flight aboard USS Tripoli (LHA 7) as the amphibious assault ship sails in the Arabian Sea. Photograph: (X| CENTCOM)
US deploys thousands more troops to West Asia as Trump signals Iran war may end soon, raising questions over ceasefire and military strategy.
US is sending thousands more troops to the West Asia theatre, just after Trump claimed that the war in Iran is almost over. According to a report by the Washington Post, around 6000 additional troops aboard the USS George HW Bush and 4,200 members of the Boxer Amphibious Ready Group and the Marine Corps task force will enter the war theatre by the end of April. These are in addition to the 1,500 and 3,000 paratroopers of the 82nd Airborne Division.
Just ahead of the announcement, in an interview with the ABC News Chief Washington Correspondent, Jonathan Karl, Trump expressed confidence that an extension may not be required. “President Trump told me today he isn't thinking about extending the ceasefire. He doesn't think it will be necessary,” wrote Karl in a Social Media post on X. Trump said, “I think you’re going to be watching an amazing two days ahead.”
Another round of talks planned
Trump claimed that both diplomatic and continued war were on the table, adding that he hoped that Iran would go for a diplomatic choice. No matter what, we took out the radicals. They're gone, no longer with us,” said Trump as quoted by Karl of ABC News.
Following the peace talks in Islamabad that ended in a stalemate, another round of peace talks is supposed to be held as the 14-day deadline of the April 7 ceasefire approaches. The venue of the talks is being considered as Islamabad; other options are also being considered.
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Analysts suggest that the goal of deploying more troops was to implement the blockade of the Strait of Hormuz and exert pressure on Iran, and launch a ground invasion if talks fail to produce concrete results. "The blockade is being enforced impartially against vessels of all nations entering or leaving coastal areas or ports in Iran," said CENTCOM in a statement on Social Media.
US CENTCOM also said on Tuesday that the first 24 hours of the blockade had been successful. However, military analysts suggest that US warships and jets are “sitting ducks in range of Iranian drones and missiles.”
Earlier today, US President Donald Trump, in an interview with Fox News, said that the war in Iran is “very close” to nearing an end. Then again, pivoted that the US could always turn around and continue its operations if it's needed. ‘If I pulled up stakes right now, it would take them 20 years to rebuild their country, and we’re not finished," said Trump, “We’ll see what happens. I think they want to make a deal very badly.”
