The withdrawal follows a September 5 attack using Qasem Basir anti-ship missiles with a 1,200 km range. Satellite imagery indicates that US aircraft carriers have been absent from the original blockade line for 26 days, a gap retired Navy Cmdr. Bobby Jones describes as textbook area denial. While CENTCOM states the missiles were evaded without casualties, the blockade line has moved south from the Gulf of Oman toward the UAE to operate outside the reach of Iranian shore-based missiles and drones.
Tuesday, October 20, 2026
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US Navy Deploys USS Theodore Roosevelt After Pulling Ships 500km From Iran
War21 days ago
CENTCOM has redirected more than 100 commercial vessels away from Iranian ports as it manages a naval blockade shifted significantly away from the Iranian coast. The US Navy has dispatched the USS Theodore Roosevelt from San Diego on a seven month deployment to sustain regional operations and relieve the USS George Washington. This rotation follows assertions from Iran's Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) that US warships have retreated at least 500 km from the Strait of Hormuz, reducing the US naval presence in the Persian Gulf from approximately 40 ships to zero.
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