The US military has announced it has “diverted” 34 ships as part of a blockade of Iranian ports, as tensions rise amid a fragile cease-fire agreement.
Published April 24, 2026
Amid a fragile ceasefire with Iran, the U.S. military announced the arrival of the aircraft carrier George H.W. Bush, marking the first time in 23 years that the United States has deployed three aircraft carriers to the Middle East.
The U.S. military’s Central Command (CENTCOM), based in the Middle East, said Friday that the carrier includes 12 escort ships, more than 200 aircraft and 15,000 soldiers.
Recommended stories
list of 3 itemsend of list
“For the first time in decades, three aircraft carriers are operating in the Middle East at the same time,” Centcom said.
The last time the United States had accumulated such large amounts of military assets in the region’s waters was prior to the 2003 US-led invasion of Iraq.
The other two US aircraft carriers in the area are the USS Abraham Lincoln and the world’s largest, the USS Gerald R. Ford.
This show of force shows that the United States is preparing to return to combat if the fragile ceasefire between the United States, Israel, and Iran thaws.
Diplomacy between the two countries has stalled, with Iran setting a condition for restarting talks that the US would lift the naval blockade on its ports.
US President Donald Trump on Wednesday announced an extension of the ceasefire but said the naval siege would continue.
Meanwhile, Iran has re-blocked the Strait of Hormuz in response to the US blockade, after declaring the waterway fully open last week when a regional ceasefire was extended to Lebanon.
President Trump has not set a deadline for extending the ceasefire, suggesting he is satisfied with the status quo, which he contends is draining Iran’s economy at low cost to the United States.
“I have all the time in the world, but no time in Iran,” he wrote in a social media post Thursday.
The US president was then asked how long he planned to wait to receive a draft deal from Iran. He said, “Don’t rush.”
Iran described the blockade, in which U.S. forces seized at least two Iranian oil ships, as an “act of war.”
Iranian forces also seized a foreign merchant vessel in the Strait of Hormuz, accusing it of violating maritime regulations.
While negotiations are on hold, President Trump has shown no desire to lift the siege to facilitate negotiations.
The U.S. military said Friday it had “diverted” 34 ships in the area. “The blockade on ships entering and exiting Iranian ports continues,” Centcom said.
President Trump has previously threatened to destroy Iranian civilian infrastructure, including bridges, power plants and water stations.
Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz said Thursday that the country is waiting for President Trump’s green light to return Iran to the “dark ages.”
“Israel is ready to resume war with Iran. (Israeli forces) are ready to defend and attack, and targets are marked,” Katz said, according to the Times of Israel.
