NEW YORK, August 28. /TASS/. A total of 50,000 US troops are currently deployed in the Middle East, US Central Command (CENTCOM) chief Admiral Bradley Cooper said.

"Here is the operational update on two ongoing [US] missions in the Middle East. Many of our 50,000 US troops in the region are doing outstanding work executing the naval blockade against Iran and, while maintaining commercial traffic flow through the Strait of Hormuz," he said.

Cooper added that since the blockade was resumed in mid-July, it has been maintained by over 20 warships, hundreds of vessels and thousands of US troops.