BREAKING NEWS: Trump just sent THOUSANDS of Marines toward Iran.

Two weeks ago, he called this a “little excursion.” Now the Pentagon is deploying the 31st Marine Expeditionary Unit, complete with F-35 fighter jets and Osprey aircraft, to the Middle East after the administration openly admitted it didn’t see this coming.

According to CNN, senior officials at the Pentagon and National Security Council significantly underestimated Iran’s willingness to shut down the Strait of Hormuz, the most important energy chokepoint on the planet.

So let’s get this straight. They launched an illegal war without congressional approval, promised it would stay in the air, and are now quietly positioning ground forces in the region while oil blasts past $100 a barrel.

Thirteen American service members are dead. Roughly 140 more have been wounded. Over 1,400 Iranians have been killed, including civilians, healthcare workers, and schoolchildren. The global economy is in freefall. The IEA says this is the largest oil supply disruption in the history of the global market.

And what’s the president’s exit strategy? He told G7 leaders this week that Iran is “about to surrender.” Meanwhile, Iran’s new supreme leader went on state TV and vowed to keep fighting.

This is textbook mission creep. CENTCOM requested these Marines specifically to have more options for military operations against Iran, including ground operations if ordered. That’s not “ahead of schedule.” That’s the slow walk into the next Iraq, except the country is three times the size with four times the population.

Every critic warned this would happen. Every hawk in the administration swore it wouldn’t. The receipts are piling up faster than the body bags.

If you think an unauthorized ground war in Iran is madness, share this before they normalize it.

*Originally posted by The Other 98%