Washington Turns a Third Carrier Into an Iran-War Escalation Option

The United States is dispatching the USS Theodore Roosevelt carrier strike group and the Makin Island amphibious ready group toward the Middle East, according to multiple reports citing U.S. officials. The deployment could briefly put three U.S. aircraft carriers in the region, depending on timing, as President Donald Trump weighs further pressure or renewed strikes against Iran. The strategic signal is not just military: it lands in an energy system already strained by Hormuz disruption, low distillate inventories, and elevated oil-price risk.