Antiwar.com’s Kyle Anzalone reports that a US official said Washington plans to send a third aircraft carrier and an additional Marine division to the Middle East. The report attributes related details to several media outlets and unnamed officials.
Three carrier groups claimed
According to Antiwar.com, Al Jazeera Arabic spoke with a US official who said the Pentagon now plans to keep three aircraft carrier strike groups in the region. The outlet reports that the USS George H.W. Bush will continue its deployment alongside the USS George Washington, with hopes the USS Theodore Roosevelt will arrive by late November.
Antiwar.com also says The Atlantic previously reported the USS Theodore Roosevelt was preparing to deploy to the Middle East, with plans to maintain two carrier strike groups in the region before year’s end—suggesting the Roosevelt would replace the Bush.
Separately, Antiwar.com reports that a US official told The Jerusalem Post that President Donald Trump was ordering an additional Marine division to the Middle East.
Trump’s Iran comment and Tehran’s warning
Antiwar.com notes that, in a Time magazine interview published Thursday, Trump said it was possible he would order an attack on Iran after the midterm election.
Reuters, as cited by Antiwar.com, reported speaking with three senior Iranian officials who said Tehran was preparing to significantly escalate the conflict if the US resumes attacks on Iran.
Carrier usage and strain—per the report
The Antiwar.com article states the Roosevelt would be the fifth aircraft carrier used during what it describes as a war against Iran that began in February, and that Trump deployed two other carrier strike groups during a 12-day war last year. It also says the war has strained the American Navy, noting the USS Abraham Lincoln left the Middle East in August after an unusually long deployment and is returning to California.
Patriot Nation Press has not independently verified these claims. All details above are attributed to the Antiwar.com report and the outlets it cites.
Source: Kyle Anzalone, Antiwar.com. “This article originally appeared at Antiwar.com.”
