The White House has ordered additional naval assets to the Persian Gulf to expand the American military footprint near Iran, according to a report from the Daily Mail. President Trump dispatched a third aircraft carrier to the region to bolster the enforcement of a maritime blockade, an operation currently supported by the aircraft carrier USS George Washington and its flight of MH-60R Sea Hawk helicopters.
The U.S. Central Command stated that naval forces have redirected 144 commercial vessels as of Oct 31 to ensure compliance with the blockade, up from 130 vessels redirected on Oct 5. This increase in intercepts aligns with data from the Treasury Department showing that no crude oil has been loaded onto Iranian tankers for 9 weeks and 4 days.