U.S. to send third carrier group to Mideast as Trump warns of new Iran strikes

Iran's medium-sized oil tankers continue to wait off the coast of Bandar Abbas at the Strait of Hormuz in Hormozgan Province, Iran on September 09, 2026.Anadolu | Anadolu | Getty ImagesThe U.S. is reportedly sending a third aircraft carrier strike group to the Middle East, along with an amphibious force carrying 2,000 Marines, raising stakes for an escalation in the months-long conflict. The deployment comes as President Donald Trump has signaled an intention to resume strikes on Iran after the November midterm elections. The USS Theodore Roosevelt group and the Makin Island force have left San Diego, a U.S. official told Al Jazeera. Separately, the Wall Street Journal reported the full buildup is expected to be complete by November. Trump recently told aides that he expects to resume bombing Iran that same month, according to the newspaper. The buildup comes as the war, now in its eighth month, remains stuck in a stalemate. Indirect talks have stalled as Washington rejected Iran's proposal to reopen Hormuz in exchange for lifting the U.S. blockade, keeping oil prices above pre-war levels. The Saudi-led coalition in Yemen on Thursday accused the Iran-backed Houthis of a drone attac...