Third aircraft carrier and thousands of troops head to Mideast as Trump weighs new Iran strikes

WASHINGTON (AP) – The U.S. Military is dispatching roughly 9, 000 troops aboard a group of ships to the Middle East, a U.S.

What happened

Meanwhile, the troop movement, which includes a third aircraft carrier, underscores the rapidly evolving dynamic of Trump's war against Iran as he ponders his next move, with midterm elections in the United States looming sizeable and new signs that the nature of the conflict may be becoming more complex.

Trump has threatened that a post-midterm election escalation – despite his initial promises to Americans of a campaign that would last a matter of weeks – remains a viable option. Further complicating matters, Trump remarked to journalists Thursday that early indications suggest that Iran is linked to the FlyDubai co-pilot who stabbed his captain and tried to crash an Israel-bound flight on Wednesday.

The bottom line

In short, third aircraft carrier and thousands of troops head to Mideast as Trump is the central thread here, and readers can expect follow-up reporting as the picture becomes clearer.