Amid ongoing conflict with Iran, the United States is moving a third aircraft carrier and thousands of additional troops towards the Middle East. The move is seen as a measure aimed at increasing military pressure around Iran as the conflict enters its eighth month now. The development has also raised fears of another major wave of attacks on Iran, following the strikes that began on February 28.

Third US Carrier Heads To Middle East

According to Al Jazeera report, citing a US official, the USS Theodore Roosevelt carrier strike group left its San Diego base on Sunday and is heading towards the Middle East. A day later, the Makin Island Marine Expeditionary Force, carrying more than 2,000 Marines also departed. As per report, the US is expected to have three aircraft carriers and two amphibious landing groups positioned around Iran by the end of November.

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The deployment is likely to add around 9,000 to 10,000 US troops to the region, bringing the number of American service members there to roughly 50,000. Apart from the troops, F-35 fighter jets and hundreds of other aircraft are also expected to be there.

Is US Launching Another Attack On Iran?

The latest deployment comes amid indirect talks between Tehran and Washington. Earlier, Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth stated that US forces are “ready to go” if President Donald Trump orders further strike. On the other hand, Trump's statements about the war have changed in recent days.

Speaking to journalists on reaching Texas on Friday, Trump suggested that the conflict could end soon, saying, “Iran will very soon be ending one way or the other.” Trump said, “Iran will very soon be ending one way or the other. I’ll either just say, look, they have 301 per cent inflation. They have no money, they have no currency. Their military has been defeated, their navy is gone, their air force is gone, everything's gone.”

At other times, Trump has warned of further attacks on Iran after the midterm election. When asked whether Iran would be hit if it was responsible for an attack on a recent flydubai plane incident, Trump said, “They'll be hit very hard. You just ask them. They know what happened. They'll be hit very hard.”

Earlier on September 26, Trump had rejected a seven-day peace proposal from Iran that included reopening the Strait of Hormuz, leaving room for possible escalation in the ongoing conflict.

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