The US military is extending deployments across the Middle East as the Trump administration prepares for the possibility that its conflict with Iran could continue well into 2027, the Wall Street Journal reported on Thursday, citing sources familiar with the matter.
At the same time, US officials told the WSJ that US President Donald Trump has privately discussed with senior aides whether he should declare the Iran war over, arguing that sustained economic pressure could eventually compel Tehran to dismantle its nuclear program or bring about the collapse of the regime.
“I like our position now much better, with almost total control of the Hormuz Strait, and their economy totally collapsing,” Trump wrote on social media.
What Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth originally presented as a short, decisive military effort has grown exponentially, with Washington now maintaining about 50,000 troops in the region, along with 19 warships, fighter squadrons, air-defense units, and paratroopers, according to the report.
Sources said the military presence is intended to preserve President Donald Trump’s ability to choose between continued economic pressure, limited military operations, and broader escalation.
Some aides have warned Trump that expanding the conflict beyond the recent exchanges of strikes could hurt Republican candidates in the November midterm elections, according to the report. Trump has maintained that electoral considerations are not guiding his military decisions.
Some aides have warned Trump that expanding the conflict beyond the recent exchanges of strikes could hurt Republican candidates in the November midterm elections, according to the report. Trump has maintained that electoral considerations are not guiding his military decisions.
The Pentagon’s sizable regional deployment is designed in part to keep alternative courses of action available.
Trump was briefed last month on potential military options that included intensified airstrikes and deploying ground troops to capture Iranian islands near the Strait of Hormuz, according to the WSJ. Another potential target was Pickaxe Mountain, the site near Natanz that US and Israeli officials have spotlighted over concerns about possible Iranian nuclear activity.
The possibility of such operations requires the US to retain significant offensive capabilities in the region even while Trump tests whether economic pressure can produce a diplomatic result.
Longer deployments cause intense strain on US troops overseas
The deployments are increasingly straining US service members, their families, and military equipment, however. Extended missions are contributing to maintenance delays that could take years to resolve, according to the report.
The strain is most felt by Army air-defense personnel responsible for intercepting Iranian missiles and drones, whose standard deployment period has increased from nine months to 12 months, one person familiar with the matter told the WSJ.
Some units originally assigned to Europe or the Pacific have already spent more than a year deployed after being redirected to the Middle East.
Tom Karako, director of the Missile Defense Project at the Center for Strategic and International Studies, warned that the increased operational tempo could exhaust personnel, postpone maintenance and interfere with longer-term modernization efforts.
Pressure on US Navy continues to grow as well
The Navy is facing similar pressures, as 19 US warships are currently operating in Middle Eastern waters, including two aircraft carriers and 13 guided-missile destroyers, according to a Navy official cited by the WSJ.
Destroyers including the USS Delbert D. Black and USS Spruance, which were deployed for the opening stages of the Iran war, are now helping enforce the blockade. Some of the ships, with crews of roughly 300, are spending several consecutive months at sea rather than receiving more regular breaks.
The deployments underscore the contradiction at the heart of Washington’s current strategy: Trump is signaling interest in winding down the conflict while preserving the military capability to rapidly intensify it.
The challenges the extended deployments bring are further compounded by extensive Iranian attacks on American assets, and analysts have indicated that the IRGC is continuing to target US bases and assets as part of an effort to push Washington out of the region.
Despite this, Trump on Wednesday stressed that the US remained prepared to strike Iran again following an Iranian attempt to deploy new mines in the Strait of Hormuz.
“We see everything that they’re doing,” Trump told reporters. “They can’t go to the bathroom without us seeing it.”