Trump Says US 'Very Likely' to Reach Iran Deal by Late April; Pentagon Deploys Thousands More Troops to Middle East

Gate News message, April 16 — U.S. President Donald Trump said on April 15 that the United States is "very likely" to reach an agreement with Iran by late April. Simultaneously, the U.S. military is significantly bolstering its presence in the Middle East, according to unnamed U.S. officials cited by The Washington Post.

The U.S. military will deploy thousands of additional troops to the region within days, including approximately 6,000 personnel aboard the USS Bush carrier strike group. The USS Boxer amphibious ready group, with roughly 4,200 personnel, is expected to arrive by month-end. The deployments will bring the total number of U.S. aircraft carriers in the region to three, as the USS Bush is currently transiting around Africa's Cape of Good Hope en route to the Middle East.