The Pentagon is sending thousands more troops to the Middle East after President Donald Trump threatened to strike Iran again ahead of midterm elections. Pentagon officials say they’re sending a third aircraft-carrier strike group and an additional Marine expeditionary unit.
The USS Theodore Roosevelt’s strike group will bring more than 7,000 U.S. sailors to the area, buoyed by 2,000 Marines from the USS Makin Island Amphibious Ready Group and its two amphibious landing ships.
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They’re all expected to arrive in the region by the end of November.
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The USS Theodore Roosevelt is nicknamed “The Big Stick,” after President Theodore Roosevelt’s foreign policy motto “speak softly and carry a big stick.”
The USS Roosevelt left its home port of San Diego on Sunday, and the USS Makin Island Amphibious Ready Group left on Monday, according to The Wall Street Journal.
Forces already in the area
More than 50,000 troops are already stationed in the Middle East, military officials told the journal.
The USS George H.W. Bush and USS George Washington strike groups are already there. The USS Boxer Amphibious Ready Group is also there.
Once the Roosevelt arrives, the Washington could return to its home port in Japan. It is not yet clear if that’s the Pentagon’s plan.
The Washington was moved to the Middle East in August to relieve the USS Abraham Lincoln after concerns were raised over onboard conditions — including food and supply problems, faulty plumbing and the crew’s mental health amid a prolonged deployment that lasted more than 260 days at sea without making port. Acting Navy Secretary Hung Cao confirmed last week that eight service members attempted suicide during the Lincoln’s extended deployment.
Trump threatens new strikes
The new deployments come just days after Trump rejected Iran’s latest proposal to end the war and threatened new strikes, even before midterm elections despite the unpopularity of the war.
He backed off that threat in a Monday interview with Time magazine that was published Thursday. Trump said it’s “possible” he’ll ramp up bombings after the midterms on Nov. 3 but wouldn’t go into details about his plans.
He also said he rejected Iran’s proposal because “things that I wouldn’t have approved a year ago I wouldn’t have today.”
Trump added, “I mean, it was — they made an offer to open up the Strait. You know, you saw some aspects of it, not all. But it’s just, it’s just, it’s not good enough.”
He also said “it’s possible” that the unpopular war could hurt the Republican Party during the upcoming election, but ultimately dismissed those concerns, saying, “It should help, because Iran will not have a nuclear weapon.”
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