US to send new aircraft carrier to Middle East as Iran war drags on

Washington: A new US aircraft carrier will deploy to the Middle East to relieve another carrier that recently sailed to the region as the war with Iran drags on, the US Naval Institute (USNI) reported.

The USS Theodore Roosevelt strike group is expected to sail from San Diego, on the US west coast, in the coming weeks, for a more than seven-month deployment, USNI said Wednesday.

Also read: USS Abraham Lincoln will stop in Thailand on its way home from lengthy deployment in Middle East


It will relieve the USS George Washington, which deployed from Japan and arrived in the Middle East last week, replacing the USS Abraham Lincoln, amid reports of grim conditions and even suicide attempts on that carrier that has been at sea since November 2025.

At the time, the acting Navy secretary pushed back on these concerns.

The Lincoln is currently heading for a port call in Thailand next week for its 5,000 sailors.

The US has maintained an aircraft carrier in the Arabian Sea for strike missions over Iran since the US and Israel launched the war at the end of February, and subsequently to enforce a naval blockade of Iranian ports.

The USNI is a private military association that hosts research and reporting on national security issues.

Wednesday's report cited senior officials including Chief of Naval Operations Admiral Daryl Caudle as saying that the Navy is trying to ease pressure on sailors and their families facing the longest deployments in decades.

Also read: Iran warns of military ship ban in Hormuz under potential deal with Oman

The US Defense Department did not immediately respond to an AFP request for comment Thursday.

The recent deployment of the George Washington from Japan means there is currently no US aircraft carrier in Pacific, where the US customarily retains a vessel to counter China.

The Lincoln had departed California in November 2025 for duty in the South China Sea and was rerouted to the Middle East before US-Israeli attacks on Iran that began six months ago.