A third American aircraft carrier and about 9,000 sailors and Marines are on their way to the Middle East, a U.S. official said Thursday, October 1, as President Trump weighs new strikes on Iran. Trump told reporters the same day that Iran will be “hit very hard” if it was behind an attack in the cockpit of a passenger jet headed for Israel.
Quick Take
- The USS Theodore Roosevelt left San Diego and is steaming toward the Middle East, where two American carriers are already on station.
- About 9,000 troops are aboard the ships now under way: more than 7,000 sailors and 2,000 Marines.
- A second group of ships, led by the USS Makin Island, is carrying the Marines.
- The ships could arrive as early as the end of October, putting three carriers in the region at once.
- Trump has said more strikes on Iran are “possible” after the November 3 election.
Carrier Strike Group Steams Toward Iran
The USS Theodore Roosevelt left its home port of San Diego on September 27 with its carrier strike group. A strike group is the carrier plus the warships that sail with it and protect it. This one includes the cruiser USS Chosin. Two other carriers, the USS George H.W. Bush and the USS George Washington, are already in the region.
The new ships could reach the Middle East as early as the end of October, according to the official, who spoke on condition of anonymity because the matter involves sensitive military moves. That would put three American carriers in the region together. It happened in April for the first time since 2003. Navy leaders have said the Roosevelt is due to relieve the George Washington, so all three may share those waters only for a stretch.
Nearly 9,000 Troops On The Move
The Roosevelt group and the ships with it carry more than 7,000 sailors. Another 2,000 Marines are aboard the USS Makin Island amphibious ready group, a set of ships built to carry Marines and put them ashore by landing craft and helicopter. Two landing ships, the USS John P. Murtha and the USS Anchorage, sail with the Makin Island.
They will join forces already in place. Along with the two carriers, the USS Boxer and its group of Marine-carrying ships are in the region. Once the new ships arrive, the United States will have more than 20,000 sailors and Marines and hundreds of aircraft within reach of Iran.
Trump Weighs His Next Move
The buildup comes months into the war with Iran, and the president has left the door open to more. In a magazine interview, Trump said it is “possible” he will step up the bombing after the November 3 election. Asked for details, he would not give them, saying, “you’re asking, where are you going to bomb?” He has also turned down a ceasefire offer from Iran, calling it “not good enough.”
The sharpest words came Thursday at the White House. On Wednesday, September 30, a co-pilot on a Flydubai flight bound for Israel stabbed the captain and tried to crash the plane. Flydubai is a passenger airline based in Dubai. A reporter asked Trump whether the co-pilot was tied to Tehran. “I would say the answer, based on what I’m hearing, is ‘yes,’ but we’re working on it right now,” he said. Then he added, “Oh, they’ll be hit very hard, don’t worry.”
Trump also said Thursday that Iran is “ready to fold up.” For readers who watched years of half-measures abroad, a president who backs his words with three carriers is a change in posture. Ships like these give a commander in chief choices. They can warn Iran off, support the fight already under way, or carry out new strikes.
The Pentagon has not put out a public statement on the mission, and no order to strike has been announced. What is confirmed is the movement itself. The ships have sailed, the Marines are aboard, and by the end of October Iran could be facing three American carriers at once.
Sources:
theguardian.com, al-monitor.com, thenationalnews.com, bloomberg.com, inquirer.com, jpost.com, theprint.in, aljazeera.com, washingtonexaminer.com, washingtonpost.com
