U.S. to send third carrier group to Mideast as Trump warns of new Iran strikes

The U.S. is reportedly sending a third aircraft carrier strike group to the Middle East, along with an amphibious force carrying 2,000 Marines, raising stakes for an escalation in the months-long conflict. The deployment comes as President Donald Trump has signaled an intention to resume strikes on Iran after the November midterm elections. The USS Theodore Roosevelt group and the Makin Island force have left San Diego, a U.S. official told Al Jazeera. Separately, the Wall Street Journal reported the full buildup is expected to be complete by November. Trump recently told aides that he expects to resume bombing Iran that same month, according to the newspaper. The buildup comes as the war, now in its eighth month, remains stuck in a stalemate.