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US Sending Marines and Amphibious Assault Ship to Middle East, Officials Say

On 20 March 2026, The Algemeiner published US Sending Marines and Amphibious Assault Ship to Middle East, Officials Say, credited to Reuters and Algemeiner Staff. Three U.S. officials told Reuters that 2,500 Marines, the USS Boxer, and other warships would deploy to the Middle East during the U.S.-Israeli war on Iran. Marines are U.S. ground troops that move by sea. The Boxer is an amphibious assault ship, a warship built to put those troops ashore. Two officials said there was still no decision on sending troops into Iran itself. An American family should care because the force is described as real and moving, while a poll in the same article says most Americans expect a large ground war and very few support one.

Evidence rating: MODERATE. The deployment comes from three unnamed U.S. officials speaking to Reuters, as The Algemeiner retells it; the poll figures come from Reuters/Ipsos. The rating covers the reported deployment and the reported poll result.

What the article says

The article says the U.S. military was deploying thousands more Marines as President Donald Trump accused NATO allies of cowardice for not helping reopen the Strait of Hormuz. That strait is the narrow lane for oil and gas leaving the Persian Gulf. The article says it had been effectively closed to most shipping since the United States and Israel launched the war on 28 February.

The poll line is the article's sentence.

A new Reuters/Ipsos poll showed almost two-thirds of Americans believe Trump will order troops into a large-scale ground war, with only 7% supporting such a move.

The Algemeiner, 20 March 2026, credited to Reuters and Algemeiner Staff. Ipsos is the polling firm. The page does not print the questions, the dates, or how many people were asked.

Three U.S. officials told Reuters that 2,500 Marines, the USS Boxer, and accompanying warships would deploy to the region. The officials did not say what the role would be. Two officials said there had been no decision on whether to send troops into Iran itself. The article says sources had earlier told Reuters that possible targets could include Iran's coast or Kharg Island, Iran's main oil-export island in the Gulf.

Trump, the article says, said the United States was close to its goals, which it lists as degrading Iran's military and stopping a nuclear weapon, and that he might wind down the military effort. He also called allies cowards for refusing to help open the strait while fighting continued in a war they were not asked about first. The article says Germany and France said the fighting must stop before they would help, and that Britain had let the United States use bases in Britain to strike Iranian missile sites that were targeting ships.

What other reporting and posts add

• The full poll. Common Dreams, 20 March 2026, gives more of the Reuters/Ipsos numbers: "just 7% of US voters support the idea of a large-scale ground invasion of Iran," "65% of Americans believe that Trump will order such an operation anyway," "34%" would support "a small number of special forces," and "55% said they would oppose the use of any ground troops." Common Dreams. (capture: twitter/t13__v147.md)
• The ships and the unit. FinancialJuice, citing the Wall Street Journal the same day: "Roughly 2,200 to 2,500 Marines from the California-based USS Boxer amphibious ready group and 11th Marine Expeditionary Unit are heading to the U.S. Central Command." It adds: "The news comes just a day after Trump said he had no plans to put American troops on the ground in Iran." FinancialJuice on X. (captures: twitter/t50__v599.md, twitter/t50__v592.md)
• Congress that week. An X trending page updated 19 March 2026 carried two headlines: "Senate and House Reject Iran War Powers Resolutions by One Vote" and "House Rejects Democratic Resolution Limiting Trump Iran Strikes." A war powers resolution is a vote under the 1973 War Powers Resolution to make the president withdraw forces from fighting Congress has not approved. These are page labels, not roll-call records. The same page quoted Rep. Lauren Boebert, a Colorado Republican, voting no on $200 billion for the war: "I'm tired of the industrial war complex getting all our hard-earned tax dollars." X trend page. (capture: twitter/t50__v598.md)

What it shows

The USS Boxer and the 11th Marine Expeditionary Unit are an amphibious landing force, and they were ordered to the region "just a day after Trump said he had no plans to put American troops on the ground in Iran," as the Wall Street Journal put it. The possible targets named were Iran's coast and Kharg Island. The public read the signs correctly: almost two-thirds of Americans expected a large ground war, and only 7% wanted one. That gap, between what the public is told, what it expects, and what it supports, is the story of this section. See No Boots on the Ground and Congress and the Public.

Check it yourself

US Sending Marines and Amphibious Assault Ship to Middle East, Officials Say, The Algemeiner, 20 March 2026. The Reuters/Ipsos poll tables were not opened for this page.

Status: Donald Trump is alive.

Research captures: twitter/t13__v147.md, twitter/t50__v592.md, twitter/t50__v598.md, twitter/t50__v599.md

Last Updated: 2026-09-26