The Pentagon is preparing to send thousands more troops to the Middle East in the coming days in an effort to pressure Iran into reaching an end-of-war agreement. US officials told The Washington Post that the Trump administration is considering the possibility of additional strikes or ground operations if the tenuous ceasefire does not hold. According to the officials, the reinforcements include approximately 6,000 personnel aboard the aircraft USS George H.W. Bush and its accompanying warships. An additional 4,200 troops from the Boxer Amphibious Ready Group and the Marine Corps' 11th Marine Expeditionary Unit are expected to arrive around the end of April. The buildup is expected to bolster existing forces in the region as the two-week ceasefire deadline approaches. The incoming troops will join approximately 50,000 US personnel who, according to the Pentagon, are already engaged in counter-Iran operations. It comes as US President Donald Trump targets Iran's economy by blocking maritime traffic leaving and entering Iranian ports in an effort to pressure Iran to reopen the Strait of Hormuz. Although the most recent round of talks between the two countries failed, Trump has indicated that they may resume in the coming days. In an interview with Fox Business, Trump stated that he believed the war in Iran would end "very soon," and that he expected gas prices to return to prewar levels by the midterms.

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