Axios, citing informed sources, reported that the United States is sending its third carrier strike group to the region. According to the report, the USS Roosevelt aircraft carrier has sailed from San Diego toward the Middle East, and it is not yet clear whether it will replace one of the two carriers currently in the region or whether all three carriers will operate simultaneously within the area covered by CENTCOM.

The strike group, along with about 9,000 military personnel, will enter the region, bringing the number of U.S. forces in the Middle East to more than 20,000. The United States has also deployed two Patriot batteries to protect Qatar’s gas facilities and Saudi Arabia’s oil facilities.

Report by Samira Qarayi, Iran International correspondent