The United States is deploying a third aircraft carrier towards the Middle East as the war with Iran enters its eighth month, a US official told Al Jazeera, amid renewed diplomatic efforts and concerns over further escalation.
The USS Theodore Roosevelt carrier strike group departed its San Diego base on Sunday and is heading towards the region, according to the official.
The Makin Island Marine Expeditionary Force, carrying more than 2,000 Marines, followed a day later, reports Al Jazeera.
By the end of November, three US aircraft carriers and two amphibious landing groups are expected to be positioned around Iran, the official said.
The deployment would give President Donald Trump additional military options if he decides to intensify operations.
The latest deployment includes thousands of additional troops and air power, including F-35 fighter jets, adding to the roughly 50,000 US service members already stationed in the region.
Reporting from Washington, Al Jazeera said the buildup is intended to keep military options available to Trump regardless of how diplomatic efforts unfold.
The Pentagon is reportedly not planning to withdraw any of the assets even if Washington and Tehran reach an agreement. US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth has said American forces are “ready to go” if Trump orders further strikes.
Trump has also continued to signal that military action remains possible. Speaking to Fox News, he said he believed the US would “win the war” with Iran “very soon”. He has also suggested that renewed military action remains possible, while indicating that he would prefer not to discuss the details ahead of the November midterm elections.
Washington has simultaneously increased economic pressure on Tehran. The US Treasury Department this week imposed sanctions on Iranian rail and automotive conglomerates, saying the measures were aimed at cutting off remaining sources of revenue for Iran.
Diplomatic efforts continue
The military buildup comes as Iran has proposed a seven-day roadmap through Qatar that would involve reopening the Strait of Hormuz and resuming nuclear negotiations.
In return, Tehran is seeking an end to the US naval blockade, sanctions relief and a regional ceasefire covering Lebanon and Yemen.
US Ambassador to the United Nations Mike Waltz told NBC that Iran’s demand for access to frozen funds and sanctions relief was non-negotiable. He said the sanctions included measures imposed internationally rather than solely by Washington, and pointed to seven UN Security Council resolutions concerning Iran’s nuclear programme.
Iran has also adopted a mixed approach, combining military warnings with calls for negotiations.
Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi told NBC that Tehran was “fully prepared” to resume the war. He later wrote on X that Iran had not gone to New York to promote war but to pursue peace.
Analysts say the contrasting messages reflect a struggle over negotiating leverage.
Abas Aslani of the Center for Middle East Strategic Studies said the dispute had shifted from whether the two sides would negotiate to which side would give up its main leverage first.
Former US ambassador Richard Schmierer said Trump faces competing pressures over whether to delay further action until after the midterm elections and the political consequences of making concessions similar to those contained in a June agreement.
War faces growing opposition in US
The latest military moves come as public support for the war appears to be weakening in the United States.
Nearly 70 per cent of Americans now say the war has not been worth fighting, according to a new AP-NORC poll. Trump has dismissed the decline in his approval ratings, accusing pollsters of being corrupt.
