US Military Buildup Raises Iran War and Oil Fears

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The United States is sending a third aircraft carrier toward Iran as the war enters its eighth month, according to a US official who spoke to Al Jazeera. The USS Theodore Roosevelt carrier strike group departed San Diego, followed by the Makin Island Marine Expeditionary Force, which carries more than 2,000 Marines. By the end of November, three carriers and two amphibious landing groups are expected to be positioned around Iran. The buildup adds thousands of troops and F-35 fighter jets to roughly 50,000 US service members already in the region, giving President Donald Trump more military options. Pentagon and White House sources say the assets are intended to keep military action available regardless of diplomatic developments; the Pentagon does not plan to withdraw them even if an agreement is reached. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth has said US forces are ready if Trump orders strikes. Trump has publicly predicted a US victory soon, while also leaving open the possibility of renewed military action. Washington is combining the military deployment with economic pressure, including new sanctions on Iranian rail and automotive conglomerates. Diplomatically, Iran has proposed a seven-day roadmap, conveyed through Qatar, involving reopening the Strait of Hormuz and resuming nuclear talks in return for ending the US naval blockade, sanctions relief and a regional ceasefire covering Lebanon and Yemen. Trump rejected the proposal. US Ambassador to the UN Mike Waltz said demands for frozen funds and sanctions relief were unacceptable, citing international sanctions and UN Security Council resolutions. Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi has voiced both readiness for renewed war and a desire for peace. Analysts characterize the mixed messages as deliberate and say the central dispute is now which side will give up leverage first. Former US ambassador Richard Schmierer also pointed to Trump’s political constraints ahead of the midterm elections. Meanwhile, an AP-NORC poll found that nearly 70 percent of Americans believe the war has not been worth fighting; Trump dismissed the pollsters as corrupt.

CNBC Daily Open reports that Washington has reportedly sent a third aircraft carrier, the USS Theodore Roosevelt, to the Middle East, where it is expected to join the USS George H.W. Bush and USS George Washington. The Wall Street Journal also reported that Marine Corps ships and as many as 10,000 additional troops are being deployed, with their arrival expected in November. The buildup has heightened concern that the Iran conflict could intensify and disrupt energy supplies. Oil prices rose sharply Thursday: Brent crude gained 4.4% to $102.31 a barrel, while U.S. West Texas Intermediate rose 2.7% to $92.87. The U.S. Treasury also imposed sanctions on Iran’s automotive and rail sectors and on the A7 Network, which it described as a shadow banking network linked to Russia and used to evade sanctions. At home, a judge dismissed the criminal case against former Olympic canoeist David Hearn, who had been accused of vandalizing the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool, and barred prosecutors from bringing the same charges again. President Donald Trump has repeatedly characterized the pool damage as intentional vandalism. U.S. stocks nevertheless edged higher: the S&P 500 rose 0.19%, and the Dow and Nasdaq posted marginal gains as Treasury yields retreated from multiyear highs. KKM Financial CEO Jeff Kilburg attributed some of the movement to fatigue in the bond market. South Korea’s Kospi and Japan’s Nikkei 225 fell. Nike reported mixed fiscal first-quarter results and announced a restructuring that will lead to layoffs beginning next year. The company said revenue in China fell 26%, and CEO Elliott Hill said Nike was acting urgently to improve its business there. The article also notes Google’s unveiling of its Gemini 4 Argon AI model, which the company says advances coding, cybersecurity and complex tasks. Benchmarks reportedly showed it matching OpenAI on a cybersecurity test and leading in software engineering, even as investors and consumers increasingly focus on practical applications such as personal AI agents.