US sending 10,000 more troops to Middle East despite Iran ceasefire

The United States is sending more than 10,000 additional troops to the Middle East before the end of April as Washington tries to increase pressure on Iran, US officials have told The Washington Post.

The newspaper, quoting current and former US officials speaking on condition of anonymity, reported on Tuesday that the US was sending about 6,000 troops on board the USS George HW Bush carrier and the ships escorting it to the region.

Approximately 4,200 other troops from the Boxer Amphibious Ready Group and its embarked Marine Corps task force, the 11th Marine Expeditionary Unit, are expected to arrive near the end of the month, the report said.

It was previously announced that roughly 50,000 troops had been involved in operations in the war on Iran since its beginning on February 28.

With the looming arrival of the USS George HW Bush, which is reportedly sailing around Africa, the number of carriers in the region will reach three.

The USS Abraham Lincoln and the USS Gerald Ford are in the Middle East and participated in the fighting against Iran.

The report, which Al Jazeera was unable to verify, comes as the US pressed ahead on Wednesday with a naval blockade it said had cut off maritime trade with Iran.

Naval blockade

US Central Command (CENTCOM) said on social media overnight that its previously announced blockade had been “fully implemented” and that American forces “have completely halted economic trade going into and out of Iran by sea”.

The picture based on maritime tracking data on Tuesday was less clear-cut, indicating that several ships sailing from Iranian ports had crossed the Strait of Hormuz despite the blockade.

Meanwhile, President Donald Trump told The New York Post on Tuesday that a new round of talks with Iran could take place in Pakistan “over the next two days,” after a marathon first negotiating session ended without a breakthrough.

Last week, the US and Iran failed to reach a deal to end the war after high-stakes talks in the Pakistani capital, Islamabad, but the two-week ceasefire declared a week ago held. The truce is set to expire on April 22.

According to the officials speaking to The Washington Post, the deployment of new troops will enable the US administration to continue holding talks with Iran, while at the same time preparing for “the possibility of additional strikes or ground operations”.