The United States is increasing its military presence in the Middle East, with three additional warships and roughly 2,500 Marines now headed to the region, according to officials.
The USS Boxer, along with two other amphibious assault ships, has departed from its home port in San Diego, carrying the Marines from the 11th Marine Expeditionary Unit, a Reuters report said.
Two additional US officials confirmed the deployment but declined to specify the ships' exact destination, citing the sensitive nature of the operation.
The US military build-up comes amid intensifying strikes and increasingly sharp rhetoric from Donald Trump, Israel and Iran, signalling that the conflict is far from winding down.
Iran signals prolonged war, with Gen. Ali Mohammad Naini saying public sentiment backs a sustained military campaign.
However, Naini was later reported killed in an airstrike shortly after making those remarks.
The conflict has seen sustained US-Israeli strikes targeting Iran's military leadership and key infrastructure over the past three weeks.
