A San Diego-based US Navy amphibious assault ship is preparing for deployment as tensions with Iran escalate on multiple fronts.
Acting Navy Secretary Hung Cao told a House subcommittee Tuesday that the 843-foot USS Makin Island is gearing up to deploy with Marines from Camp Pendleton.
While he did not specify the size of the Marine contingent or when the ship would depart San Diego, the mission could position the group in operations tied to the US standoff with Iran.
The amphibious assault ship, which carries advanced F-35 fighter jets, has recently been training in local waters alongside the USS Somerset and USS San Diego, routine partners in a three-ship amphibious ready group.
The timing comes as another San Diego-based force has already been deployed.
Roughly two months after the USS Boxer Amphibious Ready Group left with about 2,200 Camp Pendleton Marines, the Navy says that unit has been operating in the South China Sea.
However, the US Naval Institute reported Monday that the Boxer is now heading toward the Middle East.
At the same time, political rhetoric surrounding Iran has intensified in Washington and Tehran.
President Trump said the United States could resume military strikes on Iran if no peace agreement is reached, and described the current ceasefire as barely holding together.
“I would say the ceasefire is on massive life support… when the doctor walks in and says, ‘Sir, your loved one has approximately a 1 percent chance of living,’” he told reporters in the Oval Office.
He also dismissed Iran’s latest proposal, calling it a “piece of garbage,” adding, “I didn’t even finish reading it.”
Iranian officials quickly pushed back.
Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, speaker of Iran’s parliament, wrote on X that “Our armed forces are ready to respond and to teach a lesson for any aggression,” warning of retaliation if hostilities resume.
Adding to the tension, Secretary of State Marco Rubio suggested during an interview with Fox News, that Iran may have accidentally struck a vessel carrying Chinese cargo in the Strait of Hormuz.
Rubio also called for China to take a more active role in pressuring Iran to reopen the strategic waterway.
Trump, meanwhile, was in China on Wednesday for a meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping, where he was expected to discuss the situation.
He also said he is considering setting a “red line” that would determine when the ceasefire is officially ended.
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