A third U.S. aircraft carrier and the warships escorting it arrived in waters near Iran on Thursday, officials said, significantly amplifying the military force at President Donald Trump’s disposal as he pressures the government in Tehran to surrender its nuclear program, reopen the Strait of Hormuz and agree to end a weeks-long war that has destabilized much of the region.
The arrival of the USS George H.W. Bush strike group, carrying thousands of additional American personnel and dozens of advanced fighter jets, was announced by U.S. Central Command, which oversees military operations in the Middle East. Its path to the region has been closely watched as a potential signal point while Trump seeks progress in the halting peace negotiations between Washington and Tehran.
The Bush has been traveling off Africa’s eastern coast. It was in the Indian Ocean on Thursday, Central Command said. Another 4,000-plus U.S. troops with the Boxer Amphibious Ready Group and its embarked Marine Corps task force, the 11th Marine Expeditionary Unit, are expected to arrive in the Middle East in coming weeks.
It was not immediately clear what the Bush may be ordered to do. Though the president said Tuesday that he would extend the fragile U.S. ceasefire with Iran, he has been frustrated by Tehran’s refusal to accede to his demands and spoken openly about his willingness to resume military strikes.
Throughout the ceasefire, first announced April 7, deployed U.S. forces have used the time to reposition and restock ships and aircraft, a U.S. official said, speaking on the condition of anonymity to discuss operations. The military is prepared to resume strikes if so ordered, this person said.
The Bush is joining the carriers USS Gerald R. Ford and USS Abraham Lincoln — adding to the scores of aircraft and warships both are carrying and complementing their air-defense and long-range strike capabilities.
Many of the U.S. warships in the Middle East are tasked with enforcing Trump’s blockade of Iranian ports, an operation that has become a major point of contention as the two sides remain at an impasse in their negotiations.
The blockade is intended to squeeze Iran economically and has focused on commercial vessels suspected of hauling oil through the Strait of Hormuz. To date U.S. naval forces have turned around 33 vessels, Central Command said Thursday.
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