The U.S. military is deploying a third aircraft carrier strike group and an amphibious force with 2,000 Marines to the Middle East. The USS Theodore Roosevelt left San Diego on Sunday accompanied by a Marine expeditionary unit, part of a massive deployment that includes F-35s intended to pressure Tehran.
This movement would bring the U.S. naval presence to an unusually high number of more than 20,000 sailors and Marines and hundreds of aircraft. With some 9,000 more forces heading to the region, the potential total U.S. military presence could exceed 60,000 troops.
The deployments occur as President Donald Trump weighs resuming bombing or increasing military strikes against Iran after the midterm elections. While Trump has vowed the war will end right after the election, if not sooner, he has also stated that a post-midterm escalation remains a viable option.
According to a U.S. official, the deployment of an additional aircraft carrier to the Persian Gulf is intended to give military commanders in the Middle East more options should the president choose to escalate attacks.