USS Theodore Roosevelt Carrier Group Departs for the Middle East

According to Al Jazeera, citing a US official, the USS Theodore Roosevelt carrier strike group left its San Diego base for the Middle East on Sunday, October 4, 2026 (12 Mehr 1405), to be followed a day later by the Makin Island Marine Expeditionary Unit carrying more than 2,000 Marines. The Wall Street Journal reported the deployment could add a total of 9,000 to 10,000 US troops, including sailors and Marines, to the region. The official said that by the end of November, three US aircraft carriers and two amphibious landing groups will be positioned near Iran, a plan Al Jazeera and The Washington Post first reported on October 1 (9 Mehr). The new deployment adds to roughly 50,000 US troops already stationed in the region and comes amid months of elevated tension in the Strait of Hormuz that has weighed on global gold and oil markets and on Iran's own dollar and gold prices.