Fears of a possible Middle East confrontation have increased as a result of the US Navy moving another vessel closer to Iran. The Aegis guided missile destroyer USS Milius has been sent to the eastern Mediterranean from its prior location in the western Pacific.

Additionally, US Defense Secretary Pete Hesgeth has directed the aircraft carrier USS Harry S. Truman to remain in the area in order to help operations against Iran-funded Houthi rebels headquartered in Yemen.

The Truman and its strike group were patrolling in the Red Sea and Mediterranean as part of larger U.S. efforts to push back against Houthi militant attacks on commercial shipping, which are connected to the broader Israel-Hamas conflict. 

The U.S. has had an unusually large naval presence in the area, including two carrier strike groups, to make daily attacks on Houthi positions in Yemen and provide security for critical shipping routes. This heightened military presence is a reaction to continued missile and drone attacks by the Houthis that have interfered with global trade through the Red Sea and Suez Canal.

According to Newsweek, as tensions increase over efforts to negotiate a nuclear weapons development deal with Iran, the Pentagon has moved these warships to strengthen American presence. President Donald Trump has made it plain that if a deal to stop the Islamic Republic from acquiring nuclear weapons cannot be struck, he may strike Iran. For the second time in six months, the United States has kept two carrier strike groups in the area instead of the usual one.

The Express claims that this degree of naval might hasn’t been dedicated to the Middle East in a long time. The substantial US Navy presence in the area has two functions: it gives commanders more ships for patrols and possible attacks, and it acts as a powerful deterrence against the Houthis and Iran.

The Houthis, a rebel group headquartered in Yemen that is purportedly backed by Iran, have been attacking military and commercial ships in the region nonstop. Between November 2023 and January of this year, Houthi militants used drones and missiles to target more than 100 cargo ships, sinking two of them and killing four sailors. According to their leadership, these extreme measures are meant to stop Israel’s attack on Hamas.

The United States has increased its military operations in response to the Houthis’ threat, launching a fierce campaign of attacks, with a particularly strong assault in March 2025.

“Funded by Iran, the Houthi thugs have fired missiles at US aircraft, and targeted our troops and allies,” said President Trump, denouncing the organization and accused them of “piracy, violence, and terrorism” that have cost “billions” of dollars and endangered lives.

The USS Harry S. Truman’s deployment in the Middle East, encompassing the Mediterranean and Red Sea, has been extended on several occasions because of persistent threats from Houthi militants in Yemen, who have upped the tempo of attacks against commercial shipping via missiles, drones, and naval mines. The ongoing presence is intended to discourage more attacks and protect critical maritime chokepoints such as the Bab al-Mandeb Strait.