The United States is sending a third aircraft carrier strike group toward the Middle East as the war with Iran enters its eighth month. A US official confirmed the deployment to Al Jazeera.

The USS Theodore Roosevelt carrier strike group departed San Diego on Sunday. The USS Makin Island amphibious ready group, carrying more than 2,000 Marines, followed a day later. Together the ships carry about 9,000 personnel.

By the end of November, three carrier strike groups and two amphibious groups are expected to be positioned around Iran. The USS George H.W. Bush and USS George Washington are already in the region, alongside roughly 50,000 US service members.

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth has said American forces are “ready to go” if President Donald Trump orders new strikes. Trump told Time magazine that increased bombing after the November 3 midterms was possible.

Trump also warned of a severe response if investigators establish Iranian involvement in the FlyDubai cockpit attack. No such link has been publicly established.