Iranian forces in the the Middle East have countlessly seized ships passing through international waters and in an effort to deter Iran from continued aggression, the U.S. military has created plans to have armed Marines aboard each commercial ship approved by private companies that pass by Iran.
The plan has not been fully approved, but according to some officials in the Biden administration Marines from Camp Lejeune, N.C. have received training in Bahrain with the possibility of more military and ships arriving shortly. This would mark an immediate escalation between Washington and Tehran.
According to an official who would like to remain anonymous, “We have a cohort on the ground,” and the “policy decision has pretty much been made.” A separate official acknowledged the existence of the plan but refused to say if it was approved or not.
The official word from the Pentagon is no comment and have no announcements forthcoming. White House Spokesman, John Kirby, only acknowledged how important the Strait of Hormuz is for commercial shipping and they’re continuously monitoring threats from Iran. The Straight of Hormuz is vital for shipping the world’s crude oil as it connects the Persian Gulf to the Gulf of Oman to the open ocean. More than 20 percent of the entire world supply of crude oil must travel through this “choke point” according to Kirby.