--- title: "Pentagon sending Marines to Middle East amid Iran hijacking attempts" description: "A Marine Expeditionary Unit and several Navy ships are deploying to the Middle East this week amid rising tensions with Iran." date: "2023-07-21" modified: "2023-07-21" authors: - name: "Max Hauptman" job_title: "Breaking News Reporter" link: "https://taskandpurpose.com/authors/max-hauptman.md" url: "https://taskandpurpose.com/news/marine-corps-expeditionary-unit-iran-uss-bataan/" categories: - "Around the World" - "Marine Corps" - "Middle East" - "Military Branches" - "Navy" - "News" tags: - "death" --- # Pentagon sending Marines to Middle East amid Iran hijacking attempts ![Marine Corps Navy Iran deployment Middle East]() *A U.S. Marine with the 26th Marine Expeditionary Unit (MEU), searches a hostage during a visit, board, search, and seizure training mission in support of Amphibious Squadron/MEU Integrated Training (PMINT), in the Atlantic Ocean Jan. 27, 2023. (U.S. Marine Corps photo)* Thousands of Marines and sailors are headed to the Middle East this week, in response to attempts by Iran to seize commercial ships in recent weeks. The deployment consists of the 26th Marine Expeditionary Unit, along with the amphibious assault ship USS Bataan, the amphibious transport dock USS Mesa Verde, and the dock landing ship USS Carter Hall. “These additional forces provide unique capabilities, which alongside our partners nations in the region, further safeguard the free flow of international commerce and uphold the rules-based international order, and deter Iranian destabilizing activities in the region,” [said]() Gen. Michael “Erik” Kurilla, head of U.S. Central Command in a statement on Thursday. [**Subscribe to Task & Purpose Today**]()**. Get the latest military news and culture in your inbox daily.** The 26th MEU and Navy ships [departed]() the east coast on July 10. The deployment follows multiple recent attempts by Iran to hijack commercial vessels. On July 5, an Iranian Navy vessel [approached]() an oil tanker sailing through the Strait of Hormuz before being deterred by a Navy destroyer. A few hours later, a second Iranian Navy ship approached another oil tanker in international waters off the coast of Oman and even [opened fire]() on it with small arms before departing with the of that same U.S. Navy vessel. In April, Iran seized an oil tanker with a helicopter-borne raid, [footage]() of which was shown on the country’s state television networks. Since 2021, more than [20]() commercial vessels in the region have been attacked, harassed, or seized by Iran, according to the Navy. The latest deployment comes less than a week after the Department of Defense announced the [deployment]() of F-15 and F-16 fighters, along with the guided-missile destroyer USS Thomas Hudner, to the region. So, while the military’s focus is largely shifting to Europe and the Pacific, there is still plenty happening in the Middle East and Africa. The same day that those two oil tankers were almost seized, U.S. Africa Command announced that it had carried out an [airstrike in Somalia](), “in a remote area near Hareeri Kalle,” killing five al-Shabaab terrorists. ***The latest on Task & Purpose*** - **What you need to know about Biden’s** [**IRR executive order**]() - **Vet whose** [**service dog died**]() **after violent arrest sues police** - **Did Ukraine** [**just assassinate**]() **a Russian submarine captain with his own Strava?** - **Space Force NCO faces murder charges in** [**shooting of two teens**]() **breaking into his Hyundai** - **How the Air Force ran short of** [**money for personnel**]() ## Author Max Hauptman is a former breaking news reporter at Task & Purpose. He previously worked at The Washington Post as a Military Veterans in Journalism Fellow, as well as covering local news in New England. ### Author social links [Twitter]() [Instagram]()