On April 1, US president Trump addressed that the military operation was going to hit Iran “extremely hard over the next two to three weeks.
Trump said that the U.S. was ‘very close’ to finishing the war, possibly in two weeks, or it might take a bit longer. “We’re going to bring them back to the stone ages where they belong,” he added.
He also said the US had no interest in securing the Strait of Hormuz, repeating his message that other countries “must take care of that passage”.
Meanwhile, according to a public statement on the U.S. Department of Defense’s official media outlet, DVIDS, the George H. W. Bush Carrier Strike Group (GHWBCSG) departed Norfolk on March 31, 2026, for a regularly scheduled deployment.
The ships deploying as part of GHWBCSG consists of the flagship USS George H.W. Bush (CVN 77) and three Arleigh Burke-class destroyers: USS Ross (DDG 71), USS Donald Cook (DDG 75) and USS Mason (DDG 87).
According to U.S. media, each ship will head to West Asia before being deployed to Iran. These troops were dispatched after the fire incident on the USS Ford aircraft carrier earlier this month.
