Terrence Goggin (Substack) suggests it would take 100,000 US troops to take over the free and open running of the Strait of Hormuz, which was open before the illegal war began against Iran.
As of July 2025 to Feb 2026 there were probably 50,000 maximum stationed in the GCC. Since April 1, 2026, between 10 to 20,000 may have been added, though those in Bahrain were evacuated home. Each US aircraft carrier carries around 6,000 troops (there are 3 in the GCC region).
Mapping US troops and military bases in the Middle East
The United States has maintained a military presence in the Middle East for decades, currently stationing between 40,000 and 50,000 troops across at least 19 sites.
Note, Iranian trust in US peace talks is non existent:
During the recent peace talks between the US and Iran, Iranian officials expressed suspicion that the US was not negotiating in good faith, citing previous instances where military actions occurred while talks were ongoing. This has led to concerns that the US may be using military pressure as a tactic in the negotiations. Axios Wikipedia
And in Lebanon:
Trump says Israeli strikes on Lebanon a ‘separate skirmish’ not part of Iran ceasefire
Smotrich urges Israel to annex southern Lebanon as assault intensifies
Israel’s far-right finance minister says Litani River must be ‘the new Israeli border’, as attacks on Lebanon ramp up.4 mins
The United Nations says more than 1.2 million people have been displaced across Lebanon since early March amid Israel’s intensified attacks [Adri Salido/Getty Images]
Israel’s far-right minister of finance, Bezalel Smotrich, has urged his country to annex southern Lebanon, as the military has destroyed bridges and homes in an intensified assault on the area.
In an Israeli radio interview on Monday, Smotrich said that the bombardment of Lebanon “needs to end with a different reality entirely”, which includes a “change of Israel’s borders”.
Retired, living in the Scottish Borders after living most of my life in cities in England. I can now indulge my interest in all aspects of living close to nature in a wild landscape. I live on what was once the Iapetus Ocean which took millions of years to travel from the Southern Hemisphere to here in the Northern Hemisphere. That set me thinking and questioning and seeking answers.
In 1998 I co-wrote Millennium Countdown (US)/ A Business Guide to the Year 2000 (UK) see https://www.abebooks.co.uk/products/isbn/9780749427917
borderslynn 
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