Retaliatory Iranian strikes targeting Israel and US military bases across the Middle East have disrupted major hubs for international air travel and caused the price of oil to soar.<\/p>\n
Asked when the US Navy would start escorting tankers through the Strait of Hormuz, Trump told reporters on Friday: “It will happen soon.”<\/p>\n
The movement of US personnel was first reported by the Wall Street Journal, external<\/a>. <\/p>\n It also reported that the request for reinforcements was made by US Central Command, the part of the US military responsible for the Middle East, and approved by Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth.<\/p>\n The BBC has approached the US military and the Pentagon for comment, though future troop movements are usually not confirmed publicly. <\/p>\n The US is also relocating parts of a missile defence system installed in South Korea<\/a> to the Middle East, according to officials cited by the Washington Post and South Korean news outlets.<\/p>\n Trump earlier said Iran would be hit “very hard” over the next week, adding that the war with Iran would be over when “I feel it in my bones”.<\/p>\n Hegseth also said the US military would show “no mercy for our enemies”. <\/p>\n The Pentagon this week said it had struck 6,000 Iranian targets over two weeks of conflict, which began when the US and Israel launched strikes on Iran on 28 February, killing Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei<\/a>.<\/p>\n