More than 3,500 U.S. troops, including the USS Tripoli with about 2,500 Marines, arrived in the Middle East, officials announced Saturday, as strikes in the Iran war intensified. The U.S. Central Command said in a social media post that the USS Tripoli, which serves as the flagship for the Tripoli Amphibious Ready Group / 31st Marine Expeditionary Unit, arrived in its area of responsibility. Central Command said that in addition to the Marines, the Tripoli also brings transport and strike fighter aircraft, as well as amphibious assault assets to the region. The USS Boxer and two other ships, along with another Marine Expeditionary Unit, have also been ordered to the region from San Diego.

The Tripoli is the most updated of the amphibious warships, known as a "big deck," which allows more room for F-35 Stealth Fighter Jets, Ospreys and other aircraft. The ship had previously been based in Japan when the order to deploy to the Middle East came almost two weeks ago.

The arrival of the U.S. troops in the region comes after at least 10 U.S. troops, including two who were seriously wounded, were injured when Iran fired six ballistic missiles and 29 drones at Saudi Arabia's Prince Sultan air base.

Trump said that he has not decided whether to deploy troops in Iran but he has not ruled out the possibility and is stationing some 7,000 troops, including members of the 82nd Airborne Division.

Meanwhile, the US military said in a social media post on Saturday that it had struck more than 11,000 targets and destroyed more than 150 Iranian vessels since the conflict began.

Iran's Fars news agency reported explosions across several districts of Tehran early Saturday, including strikes near Mehrabad Airport west of the capital. It's the main hub for domestic flights.

And while Trump says Iran should negotiate peace, he is also saying the US can continue with strikes on the Islamic Republic. On Friday, he said more than 3,500 targets remained in Iran and "that'll be done pretty quickly."

Secretary of State Marco Rubio said Friday the United States can meet its objectives "without any ground troops." But he also said President Trump "has to be prepared for multiple contingencies" and that American forces are available "to give the president maximum optionality and maximum, opportunity to adjust to contingencies should they emerge."

Major U.A.E. Aluminum Plant Damaged in Iranian Strike

Emirates Global Aluminium said its production plant at Al Taweelah sustained significant damage in an Iranian drone and missile attack on Abu Dhabi. Several employees were injured but no one died, the company said. The plant includes a smelter that produced 1.6 million metric tons of cast aluminum in 2025 and a refinery that supplies the smelter with alumina, the metal's main ingredient. The company had substantial metal stock offshore when the war on Iran began last month as well as in some overseas locations, according to the statement. Emirates Global Aluminium is owned by Mubadala, an Abu Dhabi sovereign wealth fund, and the government of Dubai.