The United States is deploying additional troops from its bases in Japan to the Middle East as tensions with Iran intensify.
Washington has sent the 31st Marine Expeditionary Unit from Japan to the region, a deployment that is expected to take at least one week. The unit consists of about 2,400 Marines and operates alongside the command ship USS Tripoli, which carries F-35 fighter jets, V-22 Osprey tilt-rotor aircraft and helicopters.
Meanwhile, global energy markets remain under pressure. Brent crude closed above $100 a barrel for a second consecutive day, marking its highest closing level in more than three years. US crude futures also ended close to their highest level since July 2022.
Millions of barrels of oil remain stranded in the Persian Gulf, while shipping traffic through the strategically vital Strait of Hormuz has been completely disrupted.
Efforts by the Trump administration and other governments to curb rising energy costs have so far had limited success. Several Asian countries are facing shortages of cooking gas and transport fuel, while petrol prices in the United States have climbed to their highest levels in roughly two years.
According to CNBC, President Donald Trump posted again on his Truth Social platform, claiming that Iran had planned to dominate the Middle East and erase Israel from the map, but that those plans were now “dead”.
Speaking to reporters late on Friday before boarding Air Force One for Florida, Trump said military operations would continue “for as long as necessary.”
When asked how long the conflict might last, he replied: “I can’t tell you. I mean, I have my own picture in my mind. I’m not going to give you a timeline, but we are far ahead of schedule right now.”
AloJapan.com