The United States is sending a carrier strike group and amphibious ships carrying roughly 9,000 sailors and Marines toward the Middle East, according to a US official cited by the Associated Press on Thursday, October 1. The movement could put three American aircraft carriers in the region later this month as President Donald Trump considers further action against Iran.
The deployment includes the USS Theodore Roosevelt carrier group and the USS Makin Island amphibious readiness group. AP reported that the ships carry more than 7,000 sailors and 2,000 Marines in total. USNI News confirmed earlier in the week that the Roosevelt had left San Diego on September 27 for a planned deployment expected to take it to the Middle East.
Two other carriers, the USS George H.W. Bush and the USS George Washington, are already operating in the region, AP reported. An official speaking anonymously to AP said all three could be present by the end of October. Al Jazeera separately reported that a US official expected three carriers and two amphibious groups around Iran by the end of November. These are forecasts of force levels, rather than confirmation that all the ships have arrived.
The naval buildup comes during the continuing US-Iran conflict and a dispute over a proposed truce. In an interview published Thursday by Time and reported by AP, Trump said he had rejected Iran's latest offer as insufficient and left open the possibility of expanding airstrikes after the US midterm elections on November 3. Neither a new strike nor a settlement was announced on Thursday.
AP said the additional ships would raise the US naval presence in the Middle East to more than 20,000 sailors and Marines, with hundreds of aircraft, if the planned movements are completed. The scale of the deployment increases the forces available to Washington while talks and military pressure continue. The next measure will be whether the Roosevelt and Makin Island groups reach the region and whether US and Iranian officials make progress toward a truce.
Comments