Trump calls NATO allies ‘cowards’ for failing to help open Strait of Hormuz

Iran’s new supreme leader also issued another purported statement without video or audio, and thousands more US Marines are deploying to the Middle East.

Thousands more US Marines are deploying to the Middle East, officials say

By Haley Britzky and Zachary Cohen

Thousands more US Marines and sailors are heading towards the Middle East as the war with Iran is about to enter its fourth week. The 11th Marine Expeditionary Unit and Boxer Amphibious Ready Group have had their deployment rerouted and accelerated and are now expected to go to the Middle East, two US officials told CNN.

One of the officials said it was unclear if the entire ARG-MEU (Amphibious Ready Group and Marine Expeditionary Unit) would be deploying or if only some elements would be going to the Middle East. The group was originally expected to deploy to the Indo-Pacific region, the official said. It is also unclear when the original deployment date was, when the Marines would arrive in the region, or what specifically they would be doing when they arrived.

The deployment, first reported by Newsmax, comes as a second Marine expeditionary unit — the 31st MEU, and the Tripoli Amphibious Ready Group — are also deploying to the region. CNN previously reported that the USS Tripoli was seen approaching Singapore earlier this week.

It’s unclear if both MEUs will operate in the Middle East simultaneously and for how long, or if the 11th MEU will replace the 31st upon its arrival.

The MEUs are rapid-response forces consisting of roughly 2,200 Marines and sailors. With the Amphibious Ready Group, the total number of personnel is roughly 4,500. While they can provide on-the-ground capabilities, the ARG-MEUs also come with aviation, logistics, and other support elements that provide more options to commanders and could “relieve pressure” on current operations in the Middle East, the first US official said.

MEUs are a Swiss Army knife of military capabilities: they have supported large-scale evacuation operations and other on-the-ground missions, and they come with substantial aviation and logistics components. The 11th MEU is capable of “conducting amphibious operations, selected maritime special operations at night or under adverse weather conditions, crisis response and limited contingency operations,” the unit’s website says.

Trump berates allies, Khamenei issues purported statement, and more news you should know

From CNN staff

President Donald Trump has called America’s allies “cowards” for not doing more to open up the Strait of Hormuz, which Iran effectively closed after the United States and Israel launched the war, sending global energy prices soaring.

Meanwhile, as Iranians held muted celebrations for Persian new year, the country’s new Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei appeared to issue his second major statement without audio or video since his appointment two weeks ago. Khamenei has still not appeared in public since the war began.

Here’s what you need to know:

• Trump lashes out: The US president has once again berated allies, calling them “COWARDS” over their reluctance to get involved in assisting with the Iran war. “They complain about the high oil prices they are forced to pay, but don’t want to help open the Strait of Hormuz, a simple military maneuver,” he wrote on Truth Social.

• Khamenei’s purported statement: Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei has purportedly given his second statement since he was appointed nearly two weeks ago. In the message — read out in his name on state television, without accompanying video or audio — Khamenei called for unity in Iran and claimed he had ridden the streets of Tehran “anonymously” in a taxi.

• Iran’s replacements: Iran has not named replacements for most of the senior officials killed by Israeli strikes since the war began on February 28. A CNN survey of official announcements showed that no successors have been named for more than a dozen senior officials whose deaths have been confirmed by Tehran. Israel has repeatedly vowed to keep targeting senior officials in the Iranian regime.

• Lebanon evacuations: Meanwhile, more than 1,000 people — including at least 110 children — have been killed in Lebanon since Israel began its military operations in response to Iran-backed Hezbollah’s rocket attacks on March 2. Israel issued widespread evacuation orders in southern Lebanon today. The United Nations warned a fifth of the country’s population has been uprooted from their homes in the past two weeks.

• Oil price rises: The price of oil remains well above $100 a barrel, as the nearly three-week-old war shows little signs of stopping. Brent crude, the global oil benchmark, has bobbed up and down today after Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Israel would heed Trump’s call to halt its strikes on key Iranian energy sites.