A spokesman for the Pentagon has said the US is increasing the number of aircraft carriers deployed in the Middle East to two, keeping one that is already there and sending another from the Asia Pacific, Al Jazeera reports.

Sean Parnell said the Carl Vinson will join the Harry S. Truman in the Middle East to “deter aggression, and protect the free flow of commerce in the region”.

Parnell said US Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth has also ordered “the deployment of additional squadrons and other air assets that will further reinforce our defensive air-support capabilities”.