US deploying third carrier group to Middle East as Iran tensions mount

The Pentagon is preparing to deploy a third aircraft carrier strike group and approximately 9,000 additional troops to the Middle East by the end of November as President Donald Trump weighs resuming military action against Iran following the US midterm elections, according to a report published Thursday.

The USS Theodore Roosevelt departed San Diego on Sunday for the scheduled deployment while the USS Makin Island Amphibious Ready Group, carrying Marines from the 13th Marine Expeditionary Unit, left port on Monday, officials told The Wall Street Journal. The additional forces would join more than 50,000 US troops already stationed across the region alongside the USS George H.W. Bush and USS George Washington carrier groups, which have maintained operations since hostilities began on February 28.

Ceasefire proposal rejected

The naval buildup follows Trump's rejection of Iran's latest seven-day ceasefire proposal, which called for reopening the Strait of Hormuz and resuming nuclear negotiations in exchange for Washington lifting its blockade of Iranian ports. In an interview with Time magazine published Thursday, Trump said he could resume strikes on Iran after the November elections if diplomatic efforts fail to produce an agreement.

Extended deployments

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth has extended deployments of air-defense units and the Army's 82nd Airborne Division while the Navy maintains approximately 20 vessels in the region to enforce the port blockade and escort commercial vessels through the strait. The additional carrier would mark the first time since April that three US carrier groups have operated simultaneously in the Middle East, though officials noted the USS George Washington could return to its home port in Japan — the buildup comes as the service faces supply shortages and Iranian ballistic missile attacks continue to threaten American warships in the area.