U.S. sending third aircraft carrier toward Iran as war enters eighth month

The United States is deploying a third aircraft carrier toward waters around Iran, a U.S. official told Al Jazeera on Oct. 2, deepening a military buildup as the war with Iran enters its eighth month and diplomacy remains stalled.

The official said the USS Theodore Roosevelt carrier strike group left San Diego on Sunday bound for the region, followed a day later by the Makin Island Marine Expeditionary Force carrying more than 2,000 Marines. By the end of November, three aircraft carriers and two amphibious landing groups are expected to be positioned around Iran, layered on top of roughly 50,000 U.S. service members already in the Middle East, with additional air power including F-35s. Pentagon and White House sources told Al Jazeera the aim is to keep military options available for President Donald Trump regardless of whether talks advance, and that assets are not planned to be withdrawn even if a deal is reached.

Parallel to the buildup, Iran has floated a seven-day roadmap — conveyed through Qatar — that would reopen the Strait of Hormuz and resume nuclear talks in exchange for ending the U.S. naval blockade, sanctions relief and a regional ceasefire covering Lebanon and Yemen. Trump rejected the plan; U.S. Ambassador to the UN Mike Waltz told NBC that demands for frozen funds and sanctions relief were non-negotiable. Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said Tehran was “fully prepared” to resume fighting while also insisting Iran came to New York to forge peace. Washington this week also sanctioned Iranian rail and automotive conglomerates.

Separately, UK Maritime Trade Operations reported a tanker struck by an unknown projectile in the Strait of Hormuz, with a fire reported and crews said to be safe — another reminder that energy chokepoint risk remains live while both sides mix force posture with intermittent diplomacy.

Sources: Al Jazeera; Al Jazeera live blog; gCaptain on UKMTO Hormuz report.