Central command: The USS George H.W. Bush aircraft carrier has reached the US Central Command area, increasing the number of American carrier strike groups in the region to three. The force announced the deployment on Thursday.

According to Anadolu Agency, the carrier is currently sailing in the Indian Ocean, as stated by CENTCOM on social media platform X. The Nimitz-class carrier departed from Naval Station Norfolk in Virginia in late March and reached its current position after navigating around the Cape of Good Hope.

The USS George H.W. Bush joins the USS Gerald R. Ford, which made its return to the Middle East earlier this month following repairs in Croatia. It transited the Suez Canal into the Red Sea with destroyers USS Mahan and USS Winston S. Churchill. Meanwhile, the USS Abraham Lincoln is operating in the northern Arabian Sea.

This deployment signifies a significant concentration of US naval power in the region amid the ongoing conflict with Iran and stalled ceasefire negotiations. The US announced a formal naval blockade on Iranian ports on April 13. As reported by Central Command, forces have redirected 33 commercial vessels to either turn around or return to Iranian ports since the blockade's commencement.