A third US aircraft carrier strike group is expected to arrive in the Middle East by Monday, adding to a naval buildup in the region amid the war with Iran, US media reported Sunday.
The USS Theodore Roosevelt will enter the US Central Command area of responsibility within a day, The New York Times reported, citing military officials. Two other carriers, the USS George H.W. Bush and the USS George Washington, are already deployed in the region.
The buildup could signal preparations for an escalation, although Reuters reported, citing three people familiar with the matter, that President Donald Trump had indicated in national security meetings that he might hold off on further strikes against Iran unless provoked.
The Roosevelt’s expected arrival follows an escalation in Iranian attacks on targets in the Gulf. Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps has carried out near-daily attacks on tankers attempting to transit the Strait of Hormuz.
Last week, Iran attacked an Omani island in the strait that hosts equipment used to help ships navigate the waterway.
Bahrain’s defense ministry said it intercepted several “Iranian aerial threats” on Sunday before they reached their targets, in what it described as the second attack in recent days.
The Revolutionary Guard said it launched six drones at a US radar installation at a military base in Bahrain. The United States has not confirmed whether the facility was damaged.
