The US is moving additional air units, military equipment, and special forces teams to the Middle East, as the Trump administration considers expanding the simmering conflict with Iran.By World Israel News StaffThe United States is moving additional forces, combat aircraft, medical personnel and military equipment toward the Middle East, expanding President Donald Trump’s options as his administration considers a broader campaign against Iran following the deaths of four American soldiers.Special-operations personnel have deployed from bases in the United States during the past week, while fighter squadrons are being positioned across the region, according to US officials and flight-tracking data cited by The Wall Street Journal. Long-range bombers stationed in the United States and Britain have also been placed at heightened readiness.The military movements include B-1 bombers in Britain, aerial-refueling tankers, F-16 fighters transferred from Spangdahlem Air Base in Germany and F-35s sent from RAF Lakenheath in England. Jordan and Israel are considered possible destinations for some of the aircraft.More than 150 additional medical personnel have meanwhile arrived at Landstuhl Regional Medical Center in Germany, the principal US military hospital for treating troops evacuated from combat zones in the Middle East.The Pentagon referred questions about the deployments to US Central Command, which declined to provide details on operational-security grounds. The White House said Trump “always has all options at his disposal.”The buildup follows an Iranian strike on Muwaffaq Salti Air Base in Jordan that killed First Lt. Tyler James Feehan, 25; Sgt. Angel S. Rampersad, 28; and Pvt. Isabella Gonzales, 19. An Iranian missile struck their sleeping quarters at the base.Sgt. Michael Emmanuel Swinton, 30, was killed two days later at Erbil Air Base in Iraq during the controlled detonation of a downed Iranian attack drone.Trump and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth attended the dignified transfer of all four soldiers at Dover Air Force Base in Delaware on Wednesday. Their deaths raised the number of American military personnel killed during the war to 18. More than 500 have been wounded, according to a US official cited by Reuters.Central Command said Wednesday that American forces had begun a 12th consecutive day of attacks on Iranian targets. Recent strikes have hit military command centers, aircraft hangars, drone-storage sites, maritime systems and logistics infrastructure.“The mission will continue to further degrade Iran’s ability to threaten civilian mariners and commercial vessels transiting regional waters,” Central Command said.The additional forces could be used against Iran itself, to protect American bases and aircraft, to conduct combat search-and-rescue missions or to intensify operations against Yemen’s Iran-backed Houthi movement.The Houthis declared a naval blockade against Saudi Arabia this week and warned that vessels using Saudi ports could be attacked. On Wednesday, the group claimed it had targeted the Saudi-flagged tankers Encelia and Layla with ballistic missiles, cruise missiles and drones.Maritime-security monitors reported that the Encelia was struck by a projectile in the Red Sea and caught fire. The crew fought the blaze, and no casualties or environmental damage were initially reported. The claimed attack on the Layla had not been independently confirmed.The threats are already affecting commercial traffic. Five tankers changed course in the Red Sea on Wednesday, while several vessels carrying Saudi oil toward Asian markets turned north toward the Suez Canal rather than continue south past Yemen through the Bab el-Mandeb Strait.Rerouting Saudi cargoes through the Suez Canal and around Africa could add approximately 10,000 nautical miles, more than a month of sailing time and millions of dollars in costs to individual shipments.The threat is particularly serious for Saudi Arabia because the kingdom has increasingly used its Red Sea facilities at Yanbu to bypass the Strait of Hormuz, where Iranian attacks have disrupted shipping. Closing or severely restricting both Hormuz and Bab el-Mandeb would threaten two of the world’s most important energy corridors.Trump said Tuesday that the United States would “take care of things” if the Houthis resumed attacks on Red Sea shipping. The president previously conducted a nearly two-month bombing campaign against the group before reaching a ceasefire last year.The new deployments come as Trump has stepped up threats against Iran following the American deaths. He has suggested striking Pickaxe Mountain, where Tehran is suspected of having moved nuclear-enrichment equipment, and has threatened attacks on Iranian bridges or power facilities in response to assaults on commercial vessels.Secretary of State Marco Rubio, speaking during a visit to Manila, said the decision remained with Trump.“The president has many options available to him if they continue to insist on not being cooperative,” Rubio told reporters.The growing military commitment is also producing sharper debate in Congress.Hegseth told senators this week that the war had cost the United States approximately $37.5 billion, including projected expenses through the end of September. The administration is seeking nearly $90 billion in additional funding related to the conflict and other national-security requirements.The Republican-controlled House voted 216-214 Wednesday to approve a $95 billion budget framework. The plan envisions $60 billion for the Pentagon, $13 billion for other national-security programs, $12 billion in assistance for farmers affected by tariffs and $10 billion for election-law measures supported by Trump.The House separately passed its $1.15 trillion annual defense-policy bill by a 216-212 vote. The National Defense Authorization Act traditionally receives broad support from both parties, but most Democrats opposed this year’s version while accusing Trump of launching and continuing the Iran war without congressional authorization.The United States already has tens of thousands of personnel in the Middle East, two aircraft-carrier strike groups, 11 accompanying destroyers and a Marine expeditionary unit. The latest deployments could give Trump greater capacity to conduct strikes, protect regional bases and respond to simultaneous threats from Iran and the Houthis.The post US military deploying special forces units to Mideast as Trump mulls Iran escalation appeared first on World Israel News.