US sends 9,000 troops to Middle East as Trump threatens fresh Iran strikes
The United States is sending about 9,000 troops on a naval flotilla to the Middle East, a build-up that could put three aircraft carriers in the region by late October or November. The USS Theodore Roosevelt left San Diego on September 27 with Carrier Strike Group 9, which carries more than 7,000 sailors and 2,000 Marines, while the USS George H.W. Bush and USS George Washington are already in the region. In an interview with Time published on October 1, President Donald Trump said it was "possible" he would escalate bombing of Iran after the November 3 midterms, and the US Treasury sanctioned Iran's rail and automotive sectors and their foreign suppliers on October 1.
Why it matters: The deployment and the sanctions bear on the briefing's military-escalation theme, since they extend US force posture and economic pressure against Iran while the war that began on February 28 remains deadlocked.