US sends about 9,000 more troops to Middle East as Trump weighs Iran action
The United States is sending about 9,000 troops aboard ships to the Middle East, according to a US official cited by The Associated Press. The move comes as President Donald Trump keeps open the possibility of further strikes against Iran and says authorities are examining a possible link to a flight attack.
The United States is sending roughly 9,000 troops aboard ships to the Middle East as President Donald Trump weighs possible further strikes against Iran, a US official told The Associated Press on Thursday. The deployment includes more than 7,000 sailors and 2,000 Marines aboard the USS Theodore Roosevelt carrier strike group and the USS Makin Island amphibious readiness group. The official spoke anonymously, citing the sensitivity of military operations.
The Roosevelt group includes the cruiser USS Chosin. The Makin Island group includes the amphibious ships USS John P. Murtha and USS Anchorage.
The move could bring three US aircraft carriers into the region by the end of October, the official said. The deployment would increase the US naval presence in the Middle East to more than 20,000 sailors and Marines, supported by hundreds of aircraft, according to the report. The USS George H.W.
Bush and USS George Washington are already in the region, along with the USS Boxer amphibious readiness group. Trump said early indications suggested Iran was linked to the co-pilot who stabbed India’s Smit Machchhar and attempted to crash an Israel-bound flight on Wednesday. He did not provide details, but said the United States would respond forcefully if a connection to Tehran were established.
In an interview with Time magazine, Trump said it was possible he would increase bombing in Iran after the US elections on November 3. He also said he had rejected Iran’s latest ceasefire proposal, which he described as insufficient. Trump cited Iran’s offer to open the Strait of Hormuz, a major energy shipping route, as one element of the proposal, but said the overall offer was not acceptable.
He also acknowledged that the war could affect Republican prospects in November, while arguing that preventing Iran from obtaining nuclear weapons could help politically.
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