The Pentagon is sending thousands of additional troops to the Middle East in the coming days, with over 10,000 expected to arrive this month, U.S. officials told The Washington Post.

The forces on the way to the region include about 6,000 troops aboard the USS George H.W. Bush and several accompanying warships, officials told the Post,  speaking on condition of anonymity. Another 4,200 troops from other units are expected to arrive toward the end of the month.

The troops will join approximately 50,000 army personnel who are already in the region, and the USS George H.W. Bush will join the USS Abraham Lincoln and the USS Gerald Ford—just as the two-week ceasefire is set to expire on April 22.

Two US officials said that the Pentagon is continuing plans for possible ground operations in Iran, including a special forces operation to nab Iran’s enriched uranium and seizures of islands or coastal areas related to the Strait of Hormuz.

The arrival of additional U.S. warships will further increase pressure on Iran and provide Admiral Brad Cooper, commander of U.S. Central Command, and other senior military leaders with more options if negotiations fail, said James Foggo, a retired Navy admiral and dean at the Center for Maritime Strategy in Northern Virginia.

White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt was asked about the expanding military presence and said in a statement that Trump “has wisely kept all options on the table in case the Iranians do not abandon their nuclear ambitions and reach an agreement acceptable to the United States.”

She added that Trump, along with Vance, “has made the U.S. red lines very clear,” and predicted that “Iran’s desperation for a deal will only increase” as the blockade remains in place.

(YWN Israel Desk—Jerusalem)