US moves third aircraft carrier toward Iran as war enters eighth month

US military buildup around Iran continues as the war enters its eighth month, with President Trump weighing post-midterm escalation while acknowledging strain on ammunition stockpiles.

• A US official said the USS Theodore Roosevelt carrier strike group left San Diego on Sunday, with three carriers and two amphibious groups positioned around Iran by end of November.
• Trump said munitions supplies are "a bit lower" due to the war, pledged to rebuild them to "unprecedented levels," and called intensified strikes after the midterms "possible."
• The Pentagon inspector general's July report found critical shortages, with CSIS estimating over half of pre-war stockpiles consumed; the military sought $20 billion for replacements.
• Trump rejected Iran's seven-day proposal, conveyed through Qatar, to reopen the Strait of Hormuz in exchange for ending the naval blockade and sanctions relief.
• The deployment includes the Makin Island Marine Expeditionary Unit and could add up to 10,000 US troops to the region.
• The US sent two additional Patriot missile batteries to Saudi Arabia and Qatar to protect energy infrastructure.
• Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian reaffirmed Tehran's commitment to dialogue and self-defense.
• Iran is evading the US naval blockade through ship-to-ship transfers in the Gulf of Oman, about 150 km from its coast.
• The US launched a program to secure the strait's southern shipping lane with drones and unmanned boats.