Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth is sending an amphibious assault ship, the USS Tripoli, and its Marine expeditionary unit to the Middle East, a senior U.S. official confirmed to Axios on Friday.Why it matters: The deployment will add thousands of Marines, several warships, and F-35 fighter jets to support those already in the region, the U.S. official said.The U.S. official said U.S. Central Command asked for the new force in order to have more options for military operations against Iran. The Marine expeditionary unit will be able to conduct ground operations if ordered. The U.S. official declined to comment on that possibility. Driving the news: The Marine expeditionary force is moving into the region as Iran continues to target traffic in the Strait of Hormuz, driving up global oil, shipping and insurance prices. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said Thursday that U.S. Navy escorts for commercial ships in the Strait could begin "soon." Bessent said the disruptions have already cost the U.S. $11 billion.Sources with knowledge said that before such escorts would begin, the U.S. military is planning potential operations for taking out land-based anti-ship missiles that the Iranians have deployed in the Strait area. 13 U.S. military members have died in the conflict as of Friday, following the crash of a refueling tanker aircraft in Iraq.What they're saying: "We're on plan to defeat, destroy, disable all of their meaningful military capabilities at a pace the world has never seen before," Hegseth insisted in a news conference Friday."But it's not just that Iran doesn't have a functioning Air Force, or that their entire Navy is at the bottom of the Persian Gulf, or their missile force is shrinking daily.""They also don't have the ability to build more. That's the most important component I'd like to emphasize today," he said.Joint Chiefs of Staff Chair Gen. Dan Caine said that U.S. Central Command will continue to "destroy the Iranian Navy to ensure freedom of navigation, and this means going after Iran's mine-laying capability and destroying their ability to attack commercial vessels."Zoom in: The entire Tripoli Expeditionary Strike Group includes the 31st Marine Expeditionary Unit, the USS Tripoli, guided-missile cruiser USS Robert Smalls, and guided-missile destroyer USS Rafael Peralta.The Pentagon did not respond to Axios' request for comment.Go deeper: Scoop: Trump claimed in G7 call that Iran is "about to surrender"