The United States has deployed a third aircraft carrier to the West Asia, with the USS George H W Bush entering the region’s waters on Thursday (23 April).
US Central Command confirmed the Nimitz-class carrier was sailing in the Indian Ocean within its area of responsibility on 24 April, bringing America’s total carrier presence in the Gulf to three alongside the USS Gerald R Ford and USS Abraham Lincoln.
The deployment marks a significant escalation in American naval power concentrated in the region, with the Bush’s arrival bringing at least 27 Navy vessels to the area — roughly 41 per cent of the service’s ships actively operating at sea worldwide.
The carrier strike group, which departed Naval Station Norfolk on 31 March, includes guided-missile destroyers USS Ross, USS Donald Cook and USS Mason, alongside fast combat support ship USNS Arctic.
The Bush is expected to reinforce ongoing blockade operations against Iran, which began on 13 April following the collapse of peace talks in Islamabad.
The naval blockade encompasses Iran’s entire coastline and is being enforced in the Gulf of Oman and Arabian Sea, with US forces having intercepted at least 23 vessels attempting to breach the cordon.
On 19 April, American forces seized the Iranian-flagged cargo ship Touska after a six-hour standoff in the Gulf of Oman.
Additional minesweeping vessels, including USS Chief and USS Pioneer, are also heading to the region to support efforts to clear the Strait of Hormuz of naval mines.
The strait, through which roughly 20 per cent of the world’s oil passes daily, has seen shipping traffic collapse by up to 90 per cent from normal levels, with more than 600 vessels stranded in Gulf waters.
Two American destroyers transited the waterway on 11 April in the first such passage since the US-Israel offensive against Iran began in late February.
The expanded naval presence comes during a fragile ceasefire that has held since early April, though diplomatic negotiations remain stalled.
Iran announced it would reopen the Strait of Hormuz to commercial shipping on 17 April, but reversed the decision after the United States refused to lift its blockade.
US President Donald Trump has authorised the use of lethal force against vessels suspected of laying mines in the strait, with Pentagon assessments indicating full clearance of explosives could require up to six months under current conditions.