Washington Deploys 2,200 Marines to Gulf; Unleashes 10,000 AI Interceptor Drones to Counter Iran’s Shahed-136 drone Swarms
Srinagar: The United States has sharply escalated pressure on Iran’s leadership and military infrastructure as the conflict in West Asia intensifies under the ongoing campaign known as Operation Epic Fury, combining intelligence, military deployments, and advanced counter-drone technology to counter Tehran’s expanding capabilities.
In a dramatic step, the U.S. Department of State has announced a reward of up to $10 million under its Rewards for Justice Program for information leading to the identification or capture of senior Iranian figures linked to global militant operations.
Those named include Iran’s newly elevated Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei, son of the late Ali Khamenei, along with senior security strategist Ali Larijani and other officials associated with the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, which Washington accuses of orchestrating international militant networks.
Additional figures referenced include Intelligence Minister Esmail Khatib, senior aide Ali Asghar Hejazi, military adviser Yahya Rahim Safavi, and Interior Minister Eskandar Momeni. The program also offers relocation assistance for credible informants submitting secure intelligence.
Simultaneously, the U.S. Department of Defense, under Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, has ordered the deployment of a Marine Expeditionary Unit (MEU) of roughly 2,200 Marines to the region at the request of United States Central Command.
The force will sail with an Amphibious Ready Group, typically comprising vessels such as the USS Tripoli (LHA‑7), providing rapid-response amphibious capabilities and reinforcing American naval presence near the strategically vital Strait of Hormuz, where Iranian missile and drone strikes have disrupted global shipping and energy flows.
Parallel to this military buildup, the U.S. Army has deployed 10,000 AI-enabled interceptor drones across the Middle East to counter swarms of Iranian one-way attack drones, particularly the Shahed‑136 drone. Announced by Army Secretary Dan Driscoll, the interceptors—largely based on the Merops interceptor drone system developed under Project Eagle by Perennial Autonomy—have already demonstrated effectiveness in Ukraine, reportedly destroying more than 1,000 hostile drones.
Costing roughly $14,000–$15,000 per unit and potentially dropping to as low as $3,000 with mass production, the interceptors represent a crucial shift toward low-cost drone-on-drone warfare, aimed at countering Iran’s attritional strategy of deploying inexpensive unmanned systems.
The new layer of defense allows US forces to preserve high-value missile systems such as MIM‑104 Patriot missile system for ballistic threats while neutralizing large volumes of cheaper aerial attacks.
Together, the bounty program, troop deployments, and mass drone defense initiative illustrate Washington’s expanding strategy to contain Iran’s military networks, secure regional sea lanes and sustain pressure on Tehran’s leadership as the conflict continues to widen across the Gulf and surrounding theatres.
