US May Soon Base Three Carriers Near Iran, Official Says

The Pentagon may soon deploy an additional aircraft carrier to the Persian Gulf, according to a US official, a move that would give American military commanders in the Middle East more options if President Donald Trump chooses to escalate attacks on Iran.

On Sunday, the USS Theodore Roosevelt carrier left its San Diego home port, the official said, adding that no final decision on its destination has been made but that it gives US Central Command options depending on circumstances in the region.

If the Roosevelt does arrive in the Middle East, it will bring the number of carrier strike groups in the region back up to three, the same number as at the outset of the war against Iran. It would also bring the carrier’s 5,000 sailors and Marines and thousands of others spread across its accompanying vessels.

The USS George W Bush aircraft carrier and the USS Abraham Lincoln will remain in the region. Before the April operations against Iran, the last time the US had three carrier strike groups in the Middle East was in 2003, when they supported the early phases of the invasion of Iraq.