The most significant concentration of American naval power in the Middle East in more than two decades took shape this week, as the nuclear-powered supercarrier USS George H.W. Bush entered the Indian Ocean, joining two other carrier strike groups already positioned around the Arabian Peninsula. Confirmed by US Central Command in a terse statement on Thursday, the arrival of the Bush means Washington now has three flat-tops, carrying well over two hundred combat aircraft and supported by guided-missile destroyers armed with Tomahawk cruise missiles, operating within striking distance of Iran.

President Donald Trump reinforced the message, declaring that a naval blockade of Iranian ports was proving "one hundred percent effective" at degrading Tehran's military capacity. It marks the first time since the 2003 Iraq invasion that such a trio has been assembled under a single combatant command, a fact that officials in Washington describe as a direct lever to force Tehran back to negotiations under the credible threat of resumed strikes.