This does not mean the Marines will be used for an invasion or ground force.
President Donald Trump announced "major combat operations" against Iran on Feb. 28, with massive joint U.S.-Israel strikes attack targeting military and government sites, officials said. Iranian state television confirmed that Ayatollah Ali Khamenei was among those killed in Tehran on the first day of strikes.
His sonIran is responding to the operation with missile and drone attacks targeting Israel, regional U.S. bases and multiple Gulf nations. Israel is also intensifying its long-running strike campaign against the Iran-backed Hezbollah militia in Lebanon.US offering up to $10M reward for information on top Iranian officials The U.S. government is offering a "reward of up to $10 million for information on the key leaders of Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps and its component branches," according to the Rewards for Justice website. The U.S. is looking for information on 10 officials, including Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei, Deputy Chief of Staff in the Supreme Leader Office Ali Asghar Hejazi and Director and Minister of Intelligence and Security Esmail Khatib. People hold a portrait of new Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Mojtaba Khamenei as they march during a protest against Israel and the U.S., in Istanbul, Friday, March 13, 2026. It is also seeking information on unnamed individuals holding key positions, including secretary of the Defense Council, the IRGC commander and advisor to the supreme leader.A Marine expeditionary unit with 2,200 Marines aboard three U.S. Navy amphibious ships is being ordered to the Middle East, according to two U.S. officials. Navy sailors signaling to at F-35C Lightning II on the flight deck of the USS Abraham Lincoln during operations in support of the war in Iran, on Tuesday, March 3, 2026. The 31st MEU is permanently deployed to Japan and operates in the INDO-PACOM region, but it is now being ordered to head to the Middle East. Its deployment does not mean that the unit is going to be used as a ground force for use in Iran, but it offers land, amphibious and aviation assets that can be available to military commanders if needed. This particular MEU also includes a squadron of F-35 fighter jets and a squadron of MV-22 tilt rotor Osprey aircraft."All six crew members aboard a U.S. KC-135 refueling aircraft that went down in western Iraq are now confirmed deceased. The aircraft was lost while flying over friendly airspace March 12 during Operation Epic Fury," CENTCOM said Friday. The KC-135 aircraft went down at approximately 2 p.m. ET on Thursday when two aircraft were involved in "an incident," CENTCOM said in a brief statement, confirming that "one of the aircraft went down in western Iraq, and the second landed safely."Denying Iran nuclear weapons remains a "core mission" for the U.S. in its military operation and it has a "range of options," Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth said at a Pentagon press briefing Friday. "The president's kept his eye focused on nuclear capabilities. And I will say we have a range of options, up to and including Iran deciding that they will give those up, which of course, we would welcome," Hegseth said. "I would never tell this group or the world what we're willing to do or how far we're willing to go, but we have options for sure," Hegseth said.
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