US Marines

The United States Marine Corps (USMC) is the amphibious warfare branch of the US Armed Forces, specialising in rapid expeditionary operations, forcible entry from the sea, and power projection in maritime and littoral environments. It operates under the Department of the Navy and has around 170,000 active-duty personnel.

In the 2026 Iran conflict, US Marines conducted a high-profile boarding operation seizing the Iranian cargo ship Touska in the Strait of Hormuz as part of the US naval blockade. The seizure became a focal point of the Ceasefire negotiations, with Iranian MFA spokesman Esmaeil Baqaei demanding the vessel's immediate release and framing the action as "a criminal act and a violation of the Ceasefire agreement". Marines have also been deployed across US naval vessels enforcing the Hormuz blockade since the conflict's opening phase, with US military casualties rising to 15 killed and more than 300 wounded across the campaign.

The USMC's role in the Hormuz operation has extended beyond ship boarding: Marines have provided security and boarding teams across Coalition naval operations and conducted deterrence patrols alongside the USS Gerald R. Ford carrier group. The corps' ability to execute rapid maritime boarding at scale has made it a primary instrument of the US naval blockade strategy.