The USS Theodore Roosevelt left Singapore on Sunday after a three-day port visit and sailed through the Malacca Strait toward the Middle East. Ship tracking data shows the carrier heading west into the Indian Ocean. The strike group includes a cruiser and two destroyers, and participated in joint exercises with the Japanese Navy in the Philippine Sea and South China Sea before arriving in Singapore. The Roosevelt left its San Diego base on September 27.
A U.S. administration official told Axios the strike group won’t reach U.S. Central Command’s area of responsibility before mid-November. The official added that Central Command is completing preparations for a possible resumption of large-scale combat with Iran, though it hasn’t received new orders from Washington. Axios reported that the arrival of a third carrier in the region could signal that the U.S. intends to resume strikes.
Two carriers are currently operating in the theater: the USS George Washington, which arrived on August 19, and the USS George H.W. Bush, which arrived in April as part of the U.S. naval blockade on Iran. The Theodore Roosevelt is expected to replace the George Washington, so it’s unclear how long three carriers will operate in the region simultaneously. The Bush reached the area by sailing around Africa rather than through the Suez Canal, a route that added roughly 12 days to its voyage.
The naval buildup comes as Washington debates the next phase of the campaign against the Iranian regime. President Donald Trump met with his national security team last weekend and said a decision on Iran would come “soon.” So far the sides haven’t reached agreement, and the naval blockade on Iran continues.