US Military Says USS Theodore Roosevelt Has Returned to Middle East

USS Theodore Roosevelt and accompanying warships have returned to the Middle East, the U.S. military said early Monday. The aircraft carrier has entered U.S. Central Command’s area of responsibility, joining USS George Washington and USS George H.W. Bush. The arrival brings the U.S. carrier presence in the region to three amid continuing pressure on Iran. The deployment follows a separate November 7 announcement by Central Command that Adm. Brad Cooper had directed the creation of Task Force Iron Gate. Based in Tampa, Florida, the roughly 20-member team includes military personnel and civilians. Its work involves coordinating with other U.S. government agencies to disrupt the movement of advanced weapons, dual-use technologies, sanctioned materials and illegal revenue streams across Iran’s land borders and the Caspian Sea. Cooper said on November 7, “The establishment of Task Force Iron Gate reinforces the success of our ironclad blockade against Iran at sea.” Central Command said that the naval blockade had prevented Iran from exporting more than $25 billion in crude oil over recent months. The task force’s formation added a land-transit component to the command’s efforts to restrict Iran’s weapons supply routes and revenue.