US Deploys 9,000 Troops, Third Carrier to Mideast as Trump Warns Iran
President Trump links FlyDubai attack to Tehran and threatens retaliation while Pentagon bolsters regional forces.
KEY POINTS
- Pentagon sending ~9,000 troops and a third aircraft carrier to Middle East
- Trump links FlyDubai co-pilot attack to Iran, threatens harsh retaliation
- Deployment includes USS Theodore Roosevelt and USS Makin Island groups
- Three carrier groups may operate simultaneously in region
- Trump signals possible post-midterm escalation against Iran
The U.S. military is dispatching roughly 9,000 troops aboard a group of ships to the Middle East, a U.S. official confirmed Thursday. The deployment includes the USS Theodore Roosevelt carrier strike group and the USS Makin Island amphibious readiness group carrying over 7,000 sailors and 2,000 Marines.
President Donald Trump warned that new strikes against Iran could be imminent. He told reporters early indications suggest Iran is linked to the FlyDubai co-pilot who stabbed his captain and tried to crash an Israel-bound flight on Wednesday.
“Oh, they'll be hit very hard, don't worry. You just ask them. They know what happened. They'll be hit very hard.”
"Oh, they'll be hit very hard, don't worry," Trump said, adding the U.S. would retaliate if the link is established. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu claimed investigators believe the suspect underwent Islamist radical indoctrination.
The buildup could place three aircraft carriers in the region alongside the USS George H.W. Bush and USS George Washington already stationed there. Approximately 50,000 U.S. personnel are currently serving in the Middle East.
The troop movement follows Trump's suggestion that a post-midterm election escalation remains a viable option despite earlier promises of a brief campaign.
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