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) reports.
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, says USNI.
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.
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.
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From the Liveblog of
Friday, August 28, 2026
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