Massive US military deployment in the Middle East includes 50,000 troops, F-35s and Marines to pressure Tehran.<\/p>\n
Published On 2 Oct 20262 Oct 2026<\/p>\n
The United States is deploying a third US aircraft carrier to the waters around Iran, a US official told Al Jazeera, as the war enters its eighth month and both sides weigh escalation and diplomatic engagement.<\/p>\n
The official told Al Jazeera that the USS Theodore Roosevelt carrier strike group left its San Diego base on Sunday, bound for the region, followed a day later by the Makin Island Marine Expeditionary Force, carrying more than 2,000 Marines.<\/p>\n
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By the end of November, the official said, three aircraft carriers and two amphibious landing groups will be positioned around Iran.<\/p>\n
The official said the concentration of force would hand President Donald Trump a wider menu of options if he decides to act.<\/p>\n
Al Jazeera\u2019s Tanya Noury, reporting from Washington, said the new deployment includes thousands of troops and extra air power, including F-35 fighter jets, layered on top of the roughly 50,000 US service members already stationed in the region.<\/p>\n
The goal, Noury said, citing sources inside the Pentagon and White House, is to keep military options \u201con the table\u201d for Trump regardless of how diplomacy unfolds, with the Pentagon not planning to withdraw any assets even if an agreement with Iran is reached. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth has said forces are \u201cready to go\u201d should Trump order new strikes.<\/p>\n
Trump himself has kept the threat alive in public. He told Fox News he believes the US is \u201cgoing to win the war\u201d with Iran \u201cvery soon\u201d, while suggesting in other remarks that a return to military action \u201cis possible\u201d but something he would rather not spell out before November\u2019s midterm elections.<\/p>\n
Washington has paired the show of force with new economic pressure<\/a>, sanctioning Iran\u2019s rail and automotive conglomerates this week, as the Treasury Department called the new measures an effort to drain what remains of Tehran\u2019s revenue.<\/p>\n Diplomatic track<\/p>\n