US, Israel-Iran conflict: The 50,000-ton USS Tripoli, an amphibious assault ship carrying more than 2,000 Marines from the 31st Marine Expeditionary Unit, is set to enter the war zone in the northern Arabian Sea around March 22–23, according to Hindustan Times.
There is reportedly a high likelihood that the USS Tripoli could be deployed in efforts to help reopen the Strait of Hormuz for international oil shipping and maintain freedom of navigation through the narrow waterway amid the Middle East conflict. At its narrowest point, the strait is only about 33 kilometres wide, and the geography gives Iran an advantage in any attempt to target shipping and trigger an oil crisis.
The large warship is currently south of Sri Lanka in the southern Indian Ocean and is headed toward the Gulf of Oman, where it is expected to strengthen the USS Abraham Lincoln carrier strike group.
President Donald Trump has so far avoided giving a definitive answer on whether the United States will send troops to Iran, saying he was not deploying forces while also making clear that he would not publicly disclose such a move in advance.
Given the wartime conditions and the rapidly changing situation, any decision on putting troops on the ground is likely to depend on how the conflict develops and whether Iran escalates its actions against Gulf countries. In such circumstances, the US would be unlikely to make any announcement before taking action, the report mentioned.
Also Read | What US Marines can do to help reopen the Strait of Hormuz
What is the USS Tripoli? The USS Tripoli, based in Sasebo, Japan, is a small aircraft carrier equipped with F-35 stealth fighter jets, MV-22 Osprey transport aircraft, and landing craft used to move troops ashore. It serves as the lead vessel of an amphibious ready group, which would typically also include the amphibious transport dock ships USS New Orleans and USS San Diego. CNN said it could not verify through maritime tracking sites whether those smaller ships were operating alongside the Tripoli.
Although it is difficult to anticipate the next moves of US military planners under a mercurial President, ensuring freedom of navigation in the Persian Gulf is clearly in the interest of the global community; otherwise, oil and petroleum product prices could skyrocket, the HT report noted.
While it may seem unlikely that US warships would enter the Persian Gulf amid ongoing Iranian attacks using ballistic missiles, drones, and assault craft, the most viable way to restore oil traffic could be through an international coalition operating under a UN mandate to guarantee free passage in the Strait of Hormuz.
Meanwhile, India is engaging with all key stakeholders in the Gulf and Europe to seek an early resolution to the conflict. At the same time, it has increased domestic Liquified Petroleum Gas (LPG) production to nearly 38 percent to ensure that both household and industrial consumers are largely protected and the supply gap is mitigated.