The deployment could add up to 10,000 troops as tensions with Iran remain unresolved and Washington weighs further military action.
The United States is preparing to deploy a third carrier strike group and additional Marine forces to West Asia, potentially adding up to 10,000 troops as tensions with Iran remain unresolved and more than 50,000 U.S. personnel are already stationed in the region.
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The Pentagon’s planned deployment includes the USS Theodore Roosevelt carrier strike group and the USS Makin Island Amphibious Ready Group, along with members of the 13th Marine Expeditionary Unit. The ships, aircraft and personnel are expected to reach the region by late November, according to U.S. officials cited by The Wall Street Journal.
The Roosevelt departed San Diego on Sunday, while the Makin Island group left on Monday. They will join the USS George H.W. Bush and USS George Washington, which are already operating in the region.
The US is deploying a third aircraft carrier to the waters around Iran, a US official told Al Jazeera, as the war enters its eighth month and both sides weigh escalation and diplomatic engagement.
🔗: https://t.co/QZEpp05qxC pic.twitter.com/NzAUPrAaah
— Al Jazeera English (@AJEnglish) October 2, 2026
If the George Washington remains in the region rather than returning to its base in Japan, the arrival of the Roosevelt group would give the United States three carrier strike groups in West Asia for the first time since April. That month, a fragile ceasefire ended hostilities that had begun on Feb. 28.
The additional forces would reinforce a U.S. military presence of more than 50,000 troops. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth has also deployed air defense units and personnel from the 82nd Airborne Division.
Tensions with Iran remain unresolved
The military buildup comes as Washington and Tehran remain at odds over efforts to halt the confrontation. U.S. President Donald Trump rejected a seven-day ceasefire proposal from Tehran that called for reopening the Strait of Hormuz in exchange for lifting the blockade of Iranian ports and resuming talks on Iran’s nuclear program.
Nearly one-fifth of the world’s oil supply passes through the strategic waterway.
In an interview with Time magazine, Trump said he was considering resuming attacks on Iran after the U.S. midterm elections if no agreement is reached. He also threatened retaliation over a recent incident involving a flydubai flight that Israel described as a terrorist attack.
“They will be hit very hard, don’t worry,” Trump told reporters at the White House when asked about the possibility of ordering military action if Iranian responsibility for the incident is confirmed.
The confrontation, which has continued since February, has also affected the U.S. economy, with higher fuel prices threatening to become a source of political pressure for the Republican Party ahead of the midterm elections.
The U.S. Navy is meanwhile operating under supply constraints and near-record operational demands. Nearly 20 U.S. ships are deployed in the region to maintain the blockade and escort commercial traffic through the strait amid recent Iranian ballistic missile activity.
From teleSUR English via This RSS Feed.