US deploys USS Theodore Roosevelt to Middle East amid Iran tensions

The US Department of Defense has deployed the aircraft carrier USS Theodore Roosevelt and its strike group to the Middle East, according to the Wall Street Journal, as President Donald Trump signals the possibility of intensified strikes on Iran following the midterm elections.

The report stated that the carrier and its group departed San Diego last Sunday with around 10,000 troops on board, heading to the region to join the USS George W. Bush and USS George Washington, which are already stationed there.

This move coincides with reports of the US reinforcing air defenses to protect energy facilities in Saudi Arabia and Qatar, in anticipation of a potential resumption of large-scale military operations against Iran.

In a related development, the Axios news website, citing US officials, revealed that the United States sent two additional Patriot missile batteries last month to safeguard energy facilities in both countries. The move aims to reassure Riyadh and Doha that Washington will defend their oil and gas infrastructure if Trump decides to resume major military action against Tehran.

President Donald Trump told Time magazine that he may intensify airstrikes on Iran after the midterm elections if no agreement satisfactory to Washington is reached, adding that destroying Iran could bring peace to the world.

During a campaign rally in Texas, Trump claimed that Iran is now "militarily collapsed," and that the US has no one left to negotiate with after the deaths of most Iranian leaders. He asserted that the war would end and oil prices would fall.

On the other hand, Iranian official Masoud Pezeshkian affirmed that Tehran will not abandon dialogue despite what he described as repeated US targeting of his country.