• The US is officially extending the deployment of an aircraft carrier in the Middle East.

• The Pentagon is also directing a second carrier to the region while another moves into the Pacific.

• The force posture changes come amid high tensions between the US and Iran and its proxies.

American aircraft carriers are on the move as the US military reacts to the rising tensions in the Middle East.

The US is officially extending the deployment of an aircraft carrier in the Middle East and sending another to the region, the Pentagon announced on Tuesday. A third one is heading to the Western Pacific to maintain a US presence there amid the heightened focus on the Central Command area of responsibility.

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth ordered the Harry S. Truman Carrier Strike Group to stay in the Middle East region "in support of regional deterrence and force protection efforts," Sean Parnell, the chief Pentagon spokesperson, said in a statement.

The strike group led by the aircraft carrier USS Harry S. Truman entered the US Central Command area of responsibility, which covers the Middle East, in mid-December to take over the Navy's yearlong fight against the Houthis in Yemen.

The US military has noticeably intensified its campaign against the Houthis in recent weeks as the Trump administration directs American forces to hit the rebels with airstrikes until they halt their attacks on Red Sea shipping. The Truman strike group has been involved in these efforts.

Parnell said that the Carl Vinson Carrier Strike Group, which is led by the carrier USS Carl Vinson equipped with F-35C stealth fighter jets, will arrive in the Centcom area of responsibility "to continue promoting regional stability, deter aggression, and protect the free flow of commerce in the region" after it finishes a scheduled exercise in the Indo-Pacific.

It is unclear how long the two Navy carrier strike groups could overlap in the Middle East, but it's a notable show of force. The Navy last had two carriers in the region in the summer as the Houthis fired missiles and drones at ships in the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden.

The Pentagon's official force posture update confirms earlier reporting and comes amid high tensions between the Trump administration and Iran and the Tehran-backed Houthis.

Parnell said that Hegseth directed more aircraft to the Middle East. The US has been moving both A-10 attack planes and B-2 stealth bombers to the region. The Vinson also brings with it a considerable air wing.

"Secretary Hegseth continues to make clear that, should Iran or its proxies threaten American personnel and interests in the region, the United States will take decisive action to defend our people," the Pentagon spokesman said.

His comments echo those of President Donald Trump, who said on Monday the strikes against the Houthis will continue if the rebels don't stop attacking US ships. He warned that "the real pain is yet to come" for the Houthis and Iran.

As the US masses forces in the Middle East, the Pentagon said that the Nimitz Carrier Strike Group led by the aging USS Nimitz has started a deployment to the Western Pacific, where it will maintain the Navy's aircraft carrier presence there.

There have previously been concerns that an overemphasis on deploying carriers and other warships to the Middle East leaves gaps in the US force presence in the Indo-Pacific, which is home to top US rival China, a priority challenge.

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As Iran tensions build, US military moves warplanes to reinforce Middle East

U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth has reinforced U.S. military capability in the Middle East with more warplanes, the Pentagon said on Tuesday, amid a more than two-week-old U.S. bombing campaign in Yemen and mounting tensions with Iran.

The Pentagon's brief statement did not specify which aircraft were being deployed or where precisely they were sent.

However, as many as six B-2 bombers have relocated in the past week or so to a U.S.-British military base on the Indian Ocean island of Diego Garcia, according to U.S. officials, speaking on condition of anonymity.

Experts say that puts the B-2s, which have stealth technology and are equipped to carry the heaviest U.S. bombs and nuclear weapons, in an ideal position to operate in the Middle East.

"Should Iran or its proxies threaten American personnel and interests in the region, the United States will take decisive action to defend our people," Pentagon spokesperson Sean Parnell said in a statement.

The U.S. military's Strategic Command has declined to say how many B-2s have reached Diego Garcia and noted that it does not comment on exercises or operations involving the B-2.

There is already considerable firepower in the Middle East and the U.S. military will soon have two aircraft carriers in the region.

U.S. President Donald Trump threatened Iran on Sunday with bombing and secondary tariffs if Tehran did not come to an agreement with Washington over its nuclear program.

While B-2 bombers have been employed to strike buried Houthi targets in Yemen, most experts say use of the stealthy bomber is overkill there and the targets aren't buried so deeply.

However, the B-2 is equipped to carry America's most potent bomb -- the 30,000-pound GBU-57 Massive Ordnance Penetrator. That is the weapon that experts say could be used to strike Iran's nuclear program.

There are only 20 B-2 bombers in the Air Force's inventory so they are usually used sparingly.

Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei said on Monday the U.S. would receive a strong blow if Trump followed through with his threats.

Revolutionary Guards Aerospace Commander Amirali Hajizadeh threatened U.S. forces in the Middle East, noting American bases in the Middle East and adding: "They are in a glass house and should not throw stones."

One official told Reuters that the U.S. military was also moving some air defense capabilities from Asia to the Middle East.

In his 2017-2021 term, Trump withdrew the U.S. from a 2015 deal between Iran and world powers that placed strict limits on Tehran's disputed nuclear activities in exchange for sanctions relief. Trump also reimposed sweeping U.S. sanctions.

Since then, Iran has far surpassed that deal's limits on uranium enrichment.

Western powers accuse Iran of having a clandestine agenda to develop nuclear weapons capability by enriching uranium to a high level of fissile purity, above what they say is justifiable for a civilian atomic energy program. Tehran says its nuclear program is wholly for civilian energy purposes.

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