US piles pressure on Iran with troop surge before ceasefire deadline

The Washington Post, citing US officials, reported that the Pentagon is moving several thousand additional troops into the Middle East to support President Donald Trump’s “maximum pressure” policy aimed at forcing Iran to agree quickly to end the conflict and shut down its nuclear programme. 

The move also signals that Washington is prepared to consider ground operations if negotiations collapse and the current fragile ceasefire fails.

Fresh military reinforcements include carrier and Marines ready for action

The new forces are being added to the more than 50,000 US personnel already operating in the wider theatre. They include:

• USS George H.W. Bush aircraft carrier, with about 6,000 personnel and its escort warships
• 11th Marine Expeditionary Unit (11th MEU), deployed with the Boxer Amphibious Ready Group, expected to add around 4,200 personnel later this month

The latest reinforcement comes at a critical moment, with the two-week ceasefire due to expire on April 22. It also fits with Trump’s strategy of tightening maritime pressure on Iran after ordering a blockade on shipping in and out of Iranian ports from April 12, in a bid to cut off a key economic lifeline.

Trump says war could end soon and oil prices may fall

In an interview with Fox Business, Trump said he believed the war could end soon and that global oil prices would eventually return to normal levels before the US midterm elections, provided Iran does not retain nuclear weapons. 

He also suggested that talks in Pakistan, led by Vice President JD Vance, had failed to secure a breakthrough in the first round but could resume later this week.

Iran issues blunt warning, threatens Red Sea disruption

Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps has vowed to retaliate against the US blockade, declaring that it would not allow cargo traffic to pass through the Persian Gulf, the Gulf of Oman, or even the Red Sea unless Washington lifts pressure around the Strait of Hormuz.

Analysts say the reference to the Red Sea is an alarming sign that Iran could instruct the Houthi rebels in Yemen to resume attacks on commercial shipping. 

Such a move would deepen the global economic crisis, drive marine insurance costs sharply higher and further disrupt already strained supply chains if both sides fail to reach common ground in Pakistan-hosted negotiations.