About 2,500 Marines aboard up to three warships are heading to the Middle East as Iran blocks the Strait of Hormuz, a vital route for roughly one fifth of the world's oil supply. The deployment follows two weeks of war and comes as Iran's resistance has proven more resilient than officials in the United States expected. The Marines will join more than 50,000 American troops already stationed in the region.

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said the United States would not allow Iran to continue obstructing the strategic waterway and indicated that the current day would mark the most intense phase of the American air campaign so far. President Donald Trump acknowledged the dangers facing Iranian protesters, saying it would be difficult for them to rise up against their government amid the violence.

Elsewhere, all six American crew members were killed in the crash of an aerial refueling tanker, and video appeared to show missiles launched from Bahrain toward Iran. American officials have also sought Ukraine's expertise in countering attack drones. Separately, Cuba's president confirmed that his government is in talks with the United States after an oil blockade pushed the island closer to a humanitarian crisis.