**US Marines Headed to Middle East as Iran War Reaches Three-Week Mark** The US-Iran conflict has reached its three-week mark, with escalating tensions and military operations in the region. In a significant development, **NPR has confirmed** that another group of US Marines is headed to the Persian Gulf. The USS Boxer group, consisting of three ships carrying thousands of Marines from the 11th Marine Expeditionary Unit, has departed from California and is expected to arrive in the gulf within three weeks. This deployment comes on top of the USS Tripoli group, which is expected to arrive soon from Japan, carrying more than 2,000 Marines. The military's Central Command, responsible for overseeing Middle East operations, has declined to comment on the deployment or its mission. When asked about the possibility of US troops being sent to the region, President *Trump* stated, "No. I'm not putting troops anywhere. If I were, I certainly wouldn't tell you, but I'm not putting troops. And we will do whatever is necessary to keep the peace." This statement appears to contradict earlier reports of a potential troop deployment. **Escalating Tensions in the Region** The conflict has seen a significant escalation in recent days, with Israel launching strikes in and around Tehran, the Iranian capital, on Friday. The strikes coincided with the Persian New Year, Nowruz, and the end of the holy month of Ramadan. In response, Iranian drones hit Kuwait's Mina Al-Ahmadi oil refinery, sparking fires and forcing crews to work to contain the blaze. The United Arab Emirates reported that its air defenses responded to missile and drone threats from Iran with explosions echoing across Dubai, where worshippers were marking the Muslim holiday of Eid. **Diverging Views on Iran's Energy Infrastructure** President *Trump* and Israeli Prime Minister *Netanyahu* have diverged on the issue of strikes on Iran's energy infrastructure. *Trump* urged *Netanyahu* to avoid future attacks on Iranian energy infrastructure, citing concerns about disrupting global energy supplies. However, *Netanyahu* claimed that Israel acted alone in carrying out the attack on Iran's South Pars gas field and would honor *Trump*'s request to hold off on future attacks. *Netanyahu* also stated that Iran has "no ability to enrich uranium," a claim that has been disputed by experts and officials.