Donald Trump is set to deploy a third aircraft carrier to the Middle East as the President declared the US only has “3,500 targets” left to hit.
USS George HW Bush will be deployed to CENTCOM’s area of responsibility, sources said CBS News.
Once it arrives, the carrier could potentially join ongoing combat operations against Iran, officials said.
This latest deployment builds on the already effective US military presence in the region.
USS Gerald R. Two carrier strike groups, led by USS Ford and USS Abraham Lincoln, have been in the Middle East since the first days of the war against Iran.
This was the situation until the Ford suffered a fire and was towed to a naval port in Crete for repairs.
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In its absence, the USS Ross deployed from Norfolk, Virginia, on Wednesday.
USS Donald Cook and USS Mason also departed Florida this week to join Operation Epic Fury.
This comes after Trump revealed that America still has 3,554 targets left to hit in Iran.
Speaking to an audience in Miami, the president said: “It will be done very quickly.
“And at some point we have to determine what we do.”
After this, Trump quipped that the name of the highly disputed Strait of Hormuz should be changed to Trump Strait.
“They have to open the Strait of Hormuz – I mean, Hormuz,” he said.
“Sorry. Such a terrible mistake.
“The fake news will say, ‘She accidentally said…’ No. There was no accident on my part.”
Earlier this week, Iran allowed several oil tankers to pass through the blocked shipping lanes as a “gift” to demonstrate that it was taking peace talks seriously.
Trump said Tehran allowed eight “big oil boats” to pass, followed by two more boats to pass.
Until now, Iran has been forcibly blocking ships belonging to the US and Israel from passing through the key trade route.
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It comes after Trump warned that Iran “better get serious” about agreeing to a peace deal.
Writing on Truth Social, Trump wrote: “They better get serious soon, before it’s too late, because once that happens, there’s no turning back, and it won’t be pretty!”
However, Iran’s military denied that any peace talks were taking place and that the US was talking to itself.
Iranian state media said it rejected Trump’s proposed 15-point peace plan as “excessive”.
Trump also used the occasion to criticize NATO for not coming to US aid in the Strait of Hormuz.
Again on Truth Social, Trump wrote: “NATO nations have done absolutely nothing to help the mad nation of Iran, which is now militarily destroyed.
“The United States needs nothing from NATO, but ‘never forget’ this extremely important point!”
Last week, he criticized NATO allies as “cowards,” writing: “Without the US, NATO is a paper tiger!
“They did not want to get involved in the fight to stop a nuclear-armed Iran.”
He said, “Now that battle has been won militarily, there is very little threat to them, they complain about the high oil prices they are forced to pay, but do not want to help open the Strait of Hormuz, which is a simple military ploy that is the only reason for high oil prices.”
