Trump Signals Potential Middle East Drawdown Amid Troop Deployments & $200B Funding Request

WASHINGTON — President Trump said Friday that the United States is considering “winding down” hostilities in the Middle East as the Pentagon is sending thousands of California-based Marines to the region and has requested billions in new funding for the war with Iran.

“We are getting very close to meeting our objectives as we consider winding down our great Military efforts in the Middle East with respect to the Terrorist Regime of Iran,” Trump wrote on Truth Social.

He listed a number of military aims he claimed were close to being accomplished, including destroying Iran’s military and nuclear capabilities. He said the Strait of Hormuz will “have to be guarded and policed,” but provided no timeline or information detailing the fate of service members recently dispatched to the hostilities.

The Pentagon is sending roughly 2,500 California-based Marines to the Middle East, the second significant deployment in a week, the Associated Press reported Friday. The three warships, the San Diego-based USS Boxer and two warships from the 11th Marine Expeditionary Unit, departed from Camp Pendleton on Wednesday.

The deployments were initially described as “routine training,” but defense officials confirmed the final destination is the Middle East, where the U.S. Military has amassed about 50,000 troops in total.

A 2,500-strong Marine unit accompanied by the USS Tripoli warship launched from Japan on Saturday.

The Pentagon declined to comment on the deployments, citing “operations security.”

The troop increase comes as the war’s economic shock waves are felt globally. The Pentagon has requested an additional $200 billion from the White House to fund the conflict, as the U.S. National debt reached a record $39 trillion.

The supplemental spending will require congressional approval. Senator Schumer called the request “unacceptable for a war without a plan.”

Increased troop presence raises questions about a potential American ground deployment in Iran. Republican leaders in Congress have not committed to formal votes authorizing such action.

As of Friday, 13 U.S. Service members have been killed and 232 injured in the Middle East since the start of the conflict, according to U.S. Central Command.

The amped up military spending and troop deployment approach as Trump struggles to win allies to his proposed international coalition, which aims to secure vital shipping lanes and deter further attacks on energy infrastructure.

Trump on Thursday said that Iran “is close to demolished,” but securing the Strait of Hormuz remained a challenge. He suggested the U.S. Was working to secure the strait not for its own oil needs, but “just to be nice” to other countries.

“They complain about the high oil prices they are forced to pay, but don’t want to help open the Strait of Hormuz, a simple military maneuver that is the single reason for the high oil prices. So easy for them to do, with so little risk. COWARDS, and we will REMEMBER!” Trump wrote Friday on Truth Social.

On Friday, the U.K. Agreed to allow the U.S. Military to apply British bases to “degrade the missile sites and capabilities being used to attack ships in the Strait of Hormuz,” ministers said in a written statement.

Iran has continued its attacks on Mideast energy facilities, in response to Israeli strikes Wednesday on Iran’s South Pars field — the world’s largest natural gas field. The fallout has dragged the gulf states into the war amid the largest energy supply disruption in history.

Iranian drones hammered Kuwait’s largest oil refinery Friday. Similar attacks triggered fires at Ras Laffan Industrial City in Qatar, halting energy production at the largest natural gas hub globally. Repairs are expected to take years.

Israel said Friday that it had killed Esmail Ahmadi, a senior intelligence official in Iran’s Basij and deputy to its commander, in an airstrike. Officials described Ahmadi as “one of the most vital pillars” of the Basij volunteer paramilitary force.

Abolfazl Shekarchi, a senior spokesperson for Iran’s armed forces, said American and Israeli officials could be targeted worldwide.

“From now on, based on the information we have, even recreational and tourist locations around the world will not be safe for you,” Shekarchi said.

Oil prices have surged past $100 a barrel amid the chaos.

Financial markets have reacted with sustained losses. Wall Street has now posted its fourth consecutive week of declines, with investors increasingly pricing in the risk that higher energy costs could slow economic growth while reigniting inflation. The International Monetary Fund has cautioned that the conflict could push inflation higher. The Federal Reserve is now facing renewed uncertainty as it weighs whether to hold interest rates higher for longer in response to rising energy costs.

At a White House event Friday, Trump maintained that the United States’ military operation is “going extremely well in Iran.”

“The difference between them and us is they had a navy two weeks ago and they have no navy anymore. It’s all at the bottom of the sea,” Trump said. “Fifty-eight ships were knocked down in two days and we have the greatest navy in the world. It is not even close.”

The president did not take questions from reporters. He said the United States and Iran are not engaging in talks as their leaders “are all gone,” adding to the uncertainty about the war’s exit strategy.

“We are having a hard time, we want to talk to them and there is nobody to talk to,” he said. “We have nobody to talk to and you know what? We like it that way.”