Donald Trump has deployed thousands of US Marines to the Strait of Hormuz amid mounting fears that America is set to put troops on the ground as the world’s oil supply is strangled. 

The Japan-based USS Tripoli, an amphibious assault ship, and its attached Marines are now headed for the Middle East, where they join other servicemen already in the fight, the officials said.

The war spiraled on Friday as the US death toll climbed to 13 troops, domestic gas prices soared to $3.60 per gallon and Iran’s security chief Ali Larijani defiantly taunted Trump on the streets of Tehran.  

The bolstered deployment comes as the Trump administration weighs seizing Iran’s Kharg Island, around 16 miles off the mainland in the Persian Gulf, which handles 90 percent of the Islamic regime’s fuel exports. 

Trump told Fox News Radio Friday about taking control of the island: ‘It’s not high on the list, but it’s one of so many different things, and I can change my mind in seconds.’ 

Hegseth earlier lashed out at reporters at a press briefing at the Pentagon, slamming ‘fake headlines’ about the war and claiming ‘we’re dealing with’ the Strait, adding ‘you don’t need to worry about it.’

All six service members aboard a refueling aircraft that crashed in Iraq were confirmed dead as the stalemate in the Strait deepened. 

The US Navy’s USS Tripoli (LHA-7) amphibious assault ship is now headed for the Middle East

Pete Hegseth has approved a request by US Central Command for the deployment of a Marine expeditionary unit, typically including several warships and 5,000 troops, to the region 

Traffic is suspended in the Strait of Hormuz, one of the world’s most critical oil shipping routes

The War Secretary today claimed the US military would strike Iran with the ‘heaviest’ firepower since the war began 

The Boeing KC-135 Stratotanker went down in western Iraq after a mid-air collision in friendly airspace at around 2pm ET Thursday, with four crew members initially confirmed dead. 

US Central Command confirmed Friday that two further crew members died after rescue efforts failed. The second aircraft involved in the collision landed safely, sustaining minor damage to its tail. 

The six were not immediately identified as the military informed next of kin, bringing the US death toll in the Iran war to 13 after seven service members were killed in a drone strike on a Kuwaiti base on the second day of fighting. 

Hegseth spent the briefing lecturing the press about unfavorable headlines and refusing to answer questions about the military’s plan to curb the Islamic regime’s efforts to strangle global oil supplies.

‘Some in the press just can’t stop. Allow me to make a few suggestions. People look at the TV and they see banners, headlines – I used to be in that business, I know everything is written intentionally,’ said the former Fox News star.

‘For example, a banner – “Mideast War Intensifies.” What should the banner read instead? How about, “Iran increasingly desperate,” because they are. Or more fake news from CNN. The sooner David Ellison takes over that network, the better.’

Hegseth claimed the US military would strike Iran with the ‘heaviest’ firepower since the war began and insisted Washington maintains aerial and naval superiority over the Islamic regime.

When asked by the Daily Mail why the US military cannot protect the Strait of Hormuz, one of the world’s most critical oil shipping routes, from Iranian attacks, Hegseth dodged the question.

Smoke plumes from the Thai-flagged cargo ship Mayuree Naree after it was hit by Iranian missiles in the Strait of Hormuz, Iran, on Wednesday

A fireball erupts from the site of an Israeli airstrike that targeted a building in the southern Lebanese village of Abbasiyyeh on March 13

US Central Command confirmed that all six military crew members of a refueling mission died in a mid-air collision in ‘friendly airspace.’ Above is the American plane that survived the crash 

All six crew members on the KC-135 refueling plane died, but CentCom says it was not due to hostile or friendly fire. Above is the damage to the tail of the second aircraft after the collision

‘We planned for it. We recognize it. Um, because ultimately, we want to do it sequentially in a way that makes the most sense for what we want to achieve,’ Hegseth said.

Hegseth then pivoted to criticizing the press again and insisted that the US is on track to ‘defeat, destroy and disable’ Iran’s military.

Still, the Strait of Hormuz, through which a fifth of the world’s oil flows, remains under siege. Gas prices have hit $3.60 per gallon on average in the US, up from $2.90 before the war, according to AAA.

Iran, meanwhile, is claiming its leadership remains intact. 

Iran’s security chief Larijani marched with crowds in Tehran on the last day of Ramadan, demonstrating against Israel and taunting Trump by claiming the US President ‘didn’t realize’ Iran is ‘mature and determined.’  

Iran launched fresh attacks on Dubai’s International Finance Center, with explosions rocking the city and thick smoke rising above its skyline. 

Trump acknowledged on a call with the Daily Mail earlier this month that more troops would die in the war with Iran. At the time of the call, the confirmed death toll was three. 

The Pentagon confirmed this week that 140 service members have been injured in the conflict so far, but claimed that many of those were minor injuries that have since been resolved.

Iran’s security chief, Ali Larijani, marched with crowds in Tehran on the last day of Ramadan on Friday. He claimed Trump ‘didn’t realize’ Iran is ‘mature and determined’ when he decided to attack

The President, First Lady, Vice-President JD Vance, Second Lady Usha Vance, in front of White House Chief of Staff Susie Wiles, Special Envoy to the Middle East Steve Witkoff and Attorney General Pam Bondi, at the dignified transfer ceremony on March 7 at Dover Air Force Base in Delaware

Army Reserve Major Jeffrey O’Brien (left), 45 and Chief Warrant Officer Robert M Marzan, 54 

 Captain Cody A Khork (left), 35, and Sergeant 1st Class Nicole M Amor, 39 

Sergeant 1st Class Noah L Tietjens (left), 42, and Specialist Declan J Coady, 20

Sergeant Benjamin N. Pennington, of Glendale, Kentucky, died during an Iranian strike at the Prince Sultan Air Base in Saudi Arabia on March 1

Trump flew to Dover Air Force Base in Delaware last week for the dignified transfer of the service members returning to US soil in caskets. 

The six Americans who were killed during the second day of conflict were Army reservists with the 103rd Sustainment Command based out of Des Moines, Iowa.

Nicole Amor, 39, Cody Khork, 35, Declan Coady, 20, Robert Marzan, 54, Jeffrey O’Brien, 45 and Noah Tietjens, 42, died in the war.

The seventh US service member killed in the war was identified as Benjamin Pennington, 26, of Glendale, Kentucky. He was assigned to 1st Space Battalion, 1st Space Brigade, in Fort Carson, Colorado. 

Details on the recent six deceased are expected to be released in the next 24 hours. 

‘They’re great people,’ the President said of the deceased on his call with the Daily Mail this month. ‘And, you know, we expect that to happen, unfortunately. Could happen continuous[ly] – it could happen again.’

Hegseth dared new Ayatollah Mojtaba Khamenei to appear on camera on Friday amid rumors he is ‘disfigured’ or even dead, fueled further when an Iranian TV anchor read out a statement on state television Thursday rather than the Supreme Leader appearing himself. 

‘Iran’s leadership is in no better shape,’ Hegseth claimed. ‘Desperate and hiding, they have gone underground, cowering. That’s what rats do.’

‘We know the new so-called not-so-Supreme Leader is wounded and likely disfigured,’ he added.