US official: Carrier Roosevelt and amphibious groups head to waters near Iran as Trump threatens escalation

A US official said on Thursday that the aircraft carrier Roosevelt departed with its strike group from the San Diego base bound for waters near Iran in the Middle East.

The official added that the amphibious ready group Makin Island left San Diego last Monday headed for the region, carrying more than 2,000 Marines.

The official said three aircraft carriers and two amphibious groups will be deployed in waters near Iran by the end of November, noting that massing these forces in the Middle East will give US commanders many options for dealing with Iran.

President Donald Trump threatened the possibility of returning to heavy strikes on Iran after the US midterm elections. Trump said: "I wanted the Iran war to be short at first, but now I will continue the mission to the end." He added: "What I refused at the start of negotiations with Iran I will refuse today," and went on: "Iran closed the Strait of Hormuz briefly, but the control is ours now."

Those remarks coincided with Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian's assertion that Iran will never dodge dialogue with the United States, at a time when Tehran is studying the US response to the terms of negotiations.

The Iranian plan, which spans seven days, calls for a halt to all combat operations in Iran and Lebanon, the release of frozen Iranian assets estimated at billions of dollars, the lifting of sanctions on Iranian oil, and an end to the US blockade of Iranian ports. Under the plan, Tehran would then allow the Strait of Hormuz to be reopened to navigation, and the two sides would resume negotiations over Iran's nuclear program.