US deploys third carrier to Middle East, dims hopes for European support

LEXINGTON, Ky. — The United States is not counting on European military support in its ongoing conflict with Iran, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said Friday as the Pentagon dispatched a third aircraft carrier to the Middle East, according to LEX 18 News.

The USS George H.W. Bush entered the region Friday, marking the first time in 23 years that the U.S. military has maintained three carriers under U.S. Central Command in the Middle East. The three-carrier strike force collectively deploys approximately 200 aircraft and 15,000 personnel.

The military buildup comes as U.S. forces enforce an intensifying blockade of ships departing from or arriving at Iranian ports. Hegseth said 34 vessels have been turned back since the blockade began and warned that American forces would engage any vessels attempting to lay mines in the strategically vital Strait of Hormuz, through which nearly 20% of the world's oil passed in peacetime.

"To the regime in Tehran: The blockade is tightening by the hour. We are in control. Nothing in, nothing out," Hegseth stated.

Pentagon officials have expressed mounting frustration over the lack of international cooperation during the conflict. Global oil prices have surged since the war began, driving gas prices higher worldwide and affecting consumers globally.

Hegseth criticized European nations for their limited military involvement, suggesting they have greater economic incentive to support the American operation. "We are not counting on Europe, but they need the Strait of Hormuz much more than we do," he said. "They might want to start doing less talking, having fewer fancy conferences in Europe, and get in a boat. This is much more their fight than ours."

The remarks highlight tensions between the United States and its traditional allies regarding military commitments in the Middle East and underscore the escalating nature of the U.S. military response to Iranian actions.