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U.S. President Donald Trump has signalled he may scale back military operations in the Middle East, even as Washington moves to significantly reinforce its presence with additional warships and thousands of Marines.
In a social media post on Friday, Trump said the United States was nearing its strategic goals in the conflict with Iran, which has entered its third week with no signs of de-escalation.
“We are getting very close to meeting our objectives as we consider winding down our great Military efforts in the Middle East,” AFP reported him saying.
His remarks came amid continued hostilities, with Israel reporting further missile fire from Iran early Saturday, while Saudi Arabia said it intercepted 20 drones over its eastern oil-producing region within hours.
The apparent contradiction between talk of a drawdown and a military build-up follows US plans to deploy three additional amphibious assault ships and about 2,500 Marines to the region.
The reinforcements would join more than 50,000 American troops already stationed across the Middle East, according to officials familiar with the deployment.
Washington has also sought to ease pressure on global energy markets by temporarily lifting sanctions on Iranian oil already loaded onto tankers, in a bid to stabilise surging fuel prices that have rattled financial markets.
The conflict, which began on Feb 28, has intensified across multiple fronts. Israeli forces said they carried out fresh strikes on targets in Tehran and launched attacks on Iran-backed Hezbollah positions in Beirut’s southern suburbs, where explosions and fires were reported following evacuation warnings.
Iran, meanwhile, has continued missile and drone attacks, including strikes on regional energy infrastructure that have disrupted oil supplies and driven up global prices.
Brent crude has climbed to about US$106 per barrel, up sharply from around US$70 before the war.
An Iranian military spokesperson warned that “parks, recreational areas and tourist destinations” worldwide could become targets, raising concerns about potential attacks beyond the region.
Iran’s Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei, who has not appeared publicly since assuming leadership following the reported killing of his predecessor Ali Khamenei, praised the country’s resilience in a Nowruz message, saying Iranians had delivered “a disorienting blow to the enemy”.
Despite weeks of sustained air strikes by the United States and Israel, Iran retains the capacity to launch retaliatory attacks, while uncertainty persists over the extent of damage to its military and nuclear infrastructure.
The war has already taken a heavy human toll, with more than 1,300 people reported killed in Iran, over 1,000 in Lebanon and casualties also recorded in Israel and among US forces.
With oil flows disrupted and tensions spreading across the Gulf, allies including European nations have indicated any support for securing key shipping routes such as the Strait of Hormuz would depend on a ceasefire, underscoring the fragile and volatile outlook for the region. - March 21, 2026