Thousands more US troops headed to Middle East aboard aircraft carrier

The U.S. is sending thousands of additional U.S. service members to the Middle East aboard the aircraft carrier USS George H.W. Bush, even as President Trump on Wednesday claimed Iran has asked the U.S. for a ceasefire.

The George H.W. Bush deployed Tuesday en route to the Middle East along with three destroyers, a carrier strike group that consists of more than 6,000 sailors, two U.S. officials told The Associated Press.

The new deployment follows the Trump administration’s decision to send 2,500 Marines and 2,000 paratroopers from the 82nd Airborne Division to the region last week. Officials have not disclosed what those troops would be doing.

The Pentagon and U.S. Central Command, the military command that oversees troops in the Middle East, did not immediately respond to questions on the deployments from The Hill.

Tens of thousands of service members are already in the Middle East as the U.S.-Israeli war in Iran tips into its second month, with Trump threatening to escalate the conflict over the closure to the Strait of Hormuz, even as he has insisted hostilities could soon end.

“Iran’s New Regime President, much less Radicalized and far more intelligent than his predecessors, has just asked the United States of America for a CEASEFIRE!” Trump said in a Wednesday morning post on his social media platform TruthSocial. He did not reveal who the leader was.

“We will consider when Hormuz Strait is open, free, and clear. Until then, we are blasting Iran into oblivion or, as they say, back to the Stone Ages!!!” he added.

Trump also told Reuters on Wednesday that America will be “out of Iran pretty ‌quickly” and could return for “spot hits” if needed.

Administration officials have sidestepped questions about whether or not the U.S. will deploy troops on the group inside Iran, with Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth on Tuesday saying Washington wants to be “unpredictable” in that scenario.

“We’re not going to foreclose any option,” Hegseth told reporters at a Pentagon briefing. “You can’t fight and win a war if you tell your adversary what you are willing to do or what you are not willing to do — to include boots on the ground.”

The USS George H.W. Bush would replace the USS Gerald R. Ford, which was in the Red Sea until a laundry room fire on March 12 forced it to sail to Crete, Greece for repairs.

The USS Abraham Lincoln aircraft carrier has been in the Middle East since January. 

Copyright 2026 Nexstar Media Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

Listen live: Supreme Court weighs Trump’s restrictions on birthright ...

Live updates: Trump upends tradition, attends Supreme Court arguments on ...

Trump administration shuts down social media accounts tied to Bovino

GOP sources see Trump shifting to back Senate bill funding most of DHS

Winds shift in support of resolution to end Trump’s war with Iran

Hegseth lifts suspension for Army pilots who did fly-by at Kid Rock’s estate

Trump to address nation on Iran as approval ratings hit new lows

Nate Silver on recent polling: Trump has ‘profound problems’

Supreme Court’s path on birthright citizenship may hinge on 1940 law

Lindsey Graham responds after photos show him at Disney World

Judge rules Trump administration unlawfully terminated legal status of migrants ...

Astroturf and selective outrage: The real story behind ‘No Kings’

Trump says Iran has asked for a ceasefire

Trump losing support from core supporters as approval drops to record low in ...

Jackson breaks with liberal justices in backing ‘conversion therapy’ ban

Trump rips NATO, says US membership ‘beyond reconsideration’

Supreme Court rules for Christian counselor in ‘conversion therapy’ ban case

Starmer says UK will form ‘closer partnership’ with Europe after Iran war ...

The Hill Podcasts – Morning Report

© The Hill