Illustrative image. (U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist Seaman Kaylianna Genier)
The United States is expanding its military presence in the Middle East, with a third aircraft carrier strike group heading toward the region and two additional Patriot missile batteries deployed to Saudi Arabia and Qatar.
The USS Theodore Roosevelt left San Diego on September 27 and is heading toward the Middle East, the Associated Press reported on October 1.
The carrier strike group is part of a broader deployment of roughly 9,000 additional U.S. troops and could bring the number of American carrier strike groups in the region to three.
The Pentagon has not said whether the Roosevelt will join the other carrier groups already operating in the region or eventually replace one of them.
The U.S. has also recently moved two additional Patriot air defense batteries to Gulf allies, Axios reported on October 2. One battery was sent to Saudi Arabia to protect a key oil facility, while another was deployed to Qatar to defend a natural gas facility, according to two U.S. officials and a regional source cited by the news website.
The deployments come as President Donald Trump considers whether to resume major military operations against Iran. He has increasingly tied the timing of any renewed offensive to the U.S. midterm elections on November 3.
In an interview with TIME published on October 1, he was asked whether the U.S. could ramp up bombing of Iran after the elections and replied, “Possible.” He also rejected Iran’s latest proposal aimed at reopening the Strait of Hormuz and restarting negotiations.
His comments followed remarks last month in which Trump said he expected the war to end “immediately after” the midterm elections, while also warning that Iran could face further military action.
On September 26, Trump rejected an Iranian proposal for a seven-day ceasefire and indicated that Washington could resume bombing after the elections if a broader agreement was not reached.
All recent developments indicate that the U.S. is bracing for another round of fighting with Iran, or possibly for a return to full-on war. Trump’s remarks indicate that this will likely happen after the upcoming midterm elections in the U.S. Such a move won’t be, however, surprising to the Islamic Republic, which is keeping its finger on the trigger.
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