WASHINGTON, October 03, 2026 (DAILYNWZ) — The United States is preparing to send a third aircraft carrier strike group and additional Marine Corps ships to the Middle East, adding an estimated 9,000 to 10,000 troops as tensions with Iran remain high, The Wall Street Journal reported.
The ships, fighter jets, Marines and sailors are expected to reach the region by the end of November, according to U.S. officials cited by the newspaper. The deployment comes as President Donald Trump has left open the possibility of renewed U.S. military action against Iran after the November midterm elections.
Two U.S. carriers, the USS George H.W. Bush and USS George Washington, are already in the region. The USS Theodore Roosevelt left its home port in San Diego on Sunday for a scheduled deployment.
If the George Washington remains in the region when the Roosevelt arrives, the United States would again have three carrier strike groups there, for the first time since April, according to the report.
Trump, speaking at the White House on Thursday, said Iran “won’t exist any longer” unless it agrees to what he described as “a very fair deal,” according to the report. Negotiations between Washington and Tehran have stalled.
In an interview with Time magazine published the same day, Trump said it was “possible” he could intensify bombing against Iran after the midterm elections. He also rejected a report about shortages of U.S. munitions, calling it “fake news.”
The additional naval deployment would give the United States more military assets in the region as Washington weighs its next steps toward Tehran. A U.S. official told Al Jazeera that by the end of November, three carrier strike groups and two amphibious ready groups were expected to be positioned near Iran.
The Wall Street Journal report said the new deployment would add 9,000 to 10,000 personnel to U.S. forces already in the Middle East. Other reports citing U.S. officials put the existing American military presence in the region at more than 50,000 personnel.