31st MEU and Tripoli ARG return to Japan after Iran war deployment

Published Jul 22, 06:23 PM UTC

The 31st Marine Expeditionary Unit (MEU) and the Tripoli Amphibious Ready Group (ARG) returned to Okinawa, Japan, on July 22, 2026, after a six-month deployment supporting U.S. operations in the Iran war. The approximately 2,200 service members enforced a U.S. Navy blockade in the Strait of Hormuz as part of Operation Epic Fury. The blockade, which began April 13 and ended June 18, redirected over 140 compliant ships and disabled nine non-compliant vessels. It was briefly paused after a 60-day interim Memorandum of Understanding with Iran, but was renewed on July 14 after ceasefire talks failed. The unit also participated in Exercise Iron Fist 26 with Japanese forces, transported 800,000 pounds of cargo, conducted over 1,600 hours of combat aviation missions without accident, and refueled more than 300 aircraft.