The US military is moving roughly 9,000 sailors and Marines aboard a group of ships to the Middle East, a US official told the Associated Press on Thursday.
The big picture: The ships include the USS Theodore Roosevelt carrier strike group and the USS Makin Island amphibious readiness group, carrying over 7,000 sailors and 2,000 Marines.
- Three carriers could be in the region as early as the end of October, pushing the US naval presence above 20,000 sailors and Marines plus hundreds of aircraft.
Zoom in: Trump said early indications suggest Iran is linked to the Flydubai co-pilot who stabbed his captain on Wednesday. “Oh, they’ll be hit very hard, don’t worry,” he told reporters.
Yes, but: He also told Time that ramping up bombing after the November 3 elections is “possible,” and called Iran’s latest ceasefire offer, which included reopening the Strait of Hormuz, not good enough.
Why it matters: The Strait of Hormuz normally carries about a fifth of the world’s oil and gas, and its closure since February is a main reason diesel and gasoline prices keep climbing.
