US moves 2,000 Marines from Japan to Middle East as Iran war intensifies

The US military has started moving at least one amphibious assault ship and more than 2,000 Marines from Japan to the Middle East as the US-Israeli war against Iran continues, according to US media reports.With the war about to enter its third week and US President Donald Trump vowing to ramp up military action against Iran, The Wall Street Journal and Fox News said on Friday the military was sending the Okinawa-based 31st Marine Expeditionary Unit to the region.The assault ship Tripoli, homeported in Sasebo in Nagasaki prefecture in southwestern Japan, could arrive in one to two weeks, according to Fox News.The dispatch, slashing US forces deployed to the Indo-Pacific region, comes as Iran is increasing its attacks in the Strait of Hormuz, the narrow waterway through which around 20 per cent of the world’s crude oil typically passes.US Marine missile systems are readied for a joint exercise at the Japan Ground Self-Defence Force’s Camp Ishigaki in Okinawa on September 17, 2025. Photo: KyodoUS Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth has shrugged off the threat on global oil shipments, saying: “We have been dealing with it and don’t need to worry about it.”