US deploys carrier group and Marines as Iran war continues
The USS Theodore Roosevelt and Makin Island Marine Expeditionary Unit are heading to the Middle East. A US official forecasts three carriers and two amphibious landing groups near Iran by the end of November.
The United States is sending the USS Theodore Roosevelt carrier strike group and the Makin Island Marine Expeditionary Unit to the Middle East, according to a US official cited by Al Jazeera. The deployments come as the war with Iran enters its eighth month and indirect talks remain without a breakthrough.
The official said the carrier group left San Diego on Sunday and the Makin Island unit followed a day later, carrying more than 2,000 Marines. The Wall Street Journal estimated the wider naval deployments could involve an additional 9,000 to 10,000 US troops, including sailors and Marines.
By the end of November, the official expects three aircraft carriers and two amphibious landing groups to be positioned near Iran. Al Jazeera reports the new forces would join roughly 50,000 US service members already in the region.
The deployments’ purpose is not established, and the forecast force posture does not confirm that further attacks are planned. US Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth has said forces are ready if President Donald Trump orders new attacks.
Diplomacy remains stalled. Washington rejected an Iranian proposal concerning the Strait of Hormuz, while the two sides have made no breakthrough in indirect talks. The scale-up adds military options as negotiations continue, but whether it signals an escalation remains unclear.
