Thousands of US Marines are expected to deploy to the Middle East this week as tensions with Iran continue, with their arrival aligning with President Donald Trump’s deadline for Tehran to reopen the Strait of Hormuz, according to a report published Monday.

The Wall Street Journal, citing two US officials, reported that the USS Tripoli, an amphibious assault ship based in Japan, along with the amphibious transport dock USS New Orleans, are set to enter the US Central Command area on Friday, carrying approximately 2,200 Marines.

According to the officials, the forces will require several more days after entering the region before reaching the Strait of Hormuz.

The deployment comes after Trump issued a warning to Iran over the weekend, demanding that it reopen the strategic waterway within 48 hours or risk military action targeting its power infrastructure.

Although that deadline was initially set to expire Monday, Trump later announced that he would extend it in order to provide additional time for diplomatic engagement between Washington and Tehran.

Trump also said that the United States has begun outreach to “very solid” individuals within Iran as part of efforts to facilitate talks.

Reports that followed suggested that Iran’s parliament speaker, Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, might be acting as Tehran’s representative in those discussions. However, Ghalibaf publicly denied that any such negotiations were taking place.

“Our people demand the complete and humiliating punishment of the aggressors. All officials stand firmly behind their Leader and people until this goal is achieved,” Ghalibaf wrote on social media.

According to the speaker, “No negotiations with America have taken place. Fake news is intended to manipulate financial and oil markets and to escape the quagmire in which America and Israel are trapped.”

{Matzav.com}