More U.S. troops head to the Middle East as Trump seeks Iran talks

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Thousands of additional U.S. troops are moving to the Middle East as the Trump administration highlights progress in talks with Iran and signals it could escalate the war if no deal is reached soon, according to U.S. officials speaking with the Associated Press. The deployment includes the aircraft carrier USS George H.W. Bush, along with plans for destroyers and new troop rotations, as tens of thousands of service members are already in the region.

The USS George H.W. Bush deployed Tuesday and is slated to go to the Middle East along with three destroyers, two U.S. officials said. The AP reported that the carrier strike group consists of more than 6,000 sailors. The movement comes alongside troop arrivals that officials said include forces from the 82nd Airborne Division as they begin arriving in the region.

The AP reported that, in addition to the arrival of airborne units, the administration has chosen to surge some forces already in the region’s orbit. Two other U.S. officials, who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss sensitive military planning, said thousands of soldiers from the 82nd Airborne Division had begun arriving in the Middle East, including roughly 1,500 paratroopers the administration decided to surge last week.

Officials did not describe what those surging troops would do once in the region, the AP reported. The article said the 82nd Airborne is trained to parachute into hostile or contested territory to secure key ground and airfields.

The buildup also includes Marine units. The AP reported that a U.S. Navy ship carrying about 2,500 Marines recently arrived in the Middle East, and that another 2,500 Marines were being deployed from California.

The troop changes are occurring as top administration officials have avoided direct questions about whether the U.S. military will deploy ground troops against Iran. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, speaking to reporters Tuesday, said, “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.” He added, “Our adversary right now thinks there are 15 different ways we could come at them with boots on the ground. And guess what? There are.”

Hegseth also said the goal is to reach a deal with Iran through talks because, according to the AP report, “we don’t want to have to do more militarily than we have to.” The AP described the troop deployments as additional resources coming as the war has strained U.S. troops and assets already in the region.

Beyond personnel movements, Navy maintenance and deployment length have also come into focus. The AP reported that the USS Gerald R. Ford, the world’s largest aircraft carrier, had a fire in a laundry room on March 12, forcing it to return from the Red Sea to the Mediterranean Sea for repairs at a naval base in Crete. The AP said a Navy press release stated the fire damaged seven berthing compartments aboard the ship and likely forced hundreds of sailors to find new sleeping arrangements, as well as damaging personal effects.

The Ford has been in Croatia for time off, Navy leaders told the Associated Press, and the carrier’s deployment was described as likely to set records for length. Adm. Daryl Caudle, the Navy’s top officer, said during a Center for Strategic and International Studies discussion Tuesday that “You’re going to see a recordbreaking deployment by Ford.” Caudle said the carrier would probably go into the 11th month of deployed operations, which he said would put the ship returning to Norfolk, Virginia, around the end of May.

The AP also reported that the Ford was in the Mediterranean before being sent to the Caribbean to take part in the military operation that ousted Venezuela’s leader, Nicolás Maduro, and then was deployed to support the Iran war. In addition, the AP said the USS Abraham Lincoln aircraft carrier arrived in the Middle East in January.