 US deployed 3,000 troops to Middle East to deter Iranian forces. The US military has deployed thousands of troops and additional naval assets to the Middle East, stressing the need to deter Iranian forces after accusing Tehran of harassing commercial vessels and other destabilizing actions. The US Navy's fifth fleet announced the decision, noting that more than 3,000 Marines and sailors had arrived in the Red Sea aboard an amphibious assault ship and a dock landing vessel the day prior. These units add significant operational flexibility and capability as we work alongside international partners to deter destabilizing activity and de-escalate regional tensions caused by Iran's harassment and seizures of merchant vessels earlier this year. Fifth Fleet spokesman Commander Tim Hawkins told The Hill in a statement, the amphibious assault ship sent in the latest deployment, the USS Batan, also carried additional air assets the Navy added. Though it did not specify the systems on board, the military said that the ship can carry more than two dozen rotary wing and fixed wing aircraft, including the Osprey tilt rotor aircraft and AV-8B Harrier attack jets in addition to a number of landing craft. The smaller USS Carter Hall, a docking ship, will act as a support vessel for operations involving landings or amphibious attacks. According to US Central Command, Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin ordered the move in July in response to recent attempt by Iran to seize commercial ships in the region. Though Washington has repeatedly accused the Islamic Republic of such seizures since 2019, the allegations have only grown louder in recent months with the Pentagon announcing several new deployments in that time. In mid-July, the Defense Department said it would send F-35 and F-16 fighter jets to the Middle East alongside a guided missile destroyer to defend US interests and safeguard freedom of navigation, citing Iran's destabilizing activities in the strait of Hormuz. This followed another naval deployment earlier this year while Washington is now reportedly considering weather to station armed personnel aboard commercial ships to prevent Iranian seizures. Just one day before the USS Batan arrived in the Red Sea, Iranian state media reported that the country's Navy had been outfitted with new weapons including reconnaissance and combat drones, electronic warfare equipment, truck-mounted missile launchers and hundreds of cruise and ballistic missiles. Commenting on the new capabilities, Navy Commander Ali Reza Tangsiri said the systems would improve accuracy and enable longer-range strikes.