USS George Washington resupplied at sea as Trump weighs Iran and Yemen options

The USS George Washington is operating in the Arabian Sea within striking distance of Iran and Yemen, as President Donald Trump weighs whether to widen the war before next month's midterm elections. The nuclear-powered carrier has replaced the USS Abraham Lincoln, which returned home last week after a record deployment, and a third US carrier is reported to be heading to the region.

The carrier's core mission is to keep the Strait of Hormuz open and to push Iran back. Fighter jets are launched at night to patrol the waterway and provide overwatch for commercial tankers. The carrier is part of a larger strike group that includes the destroyer USS Shoup, with a crew of about 300, and a dozen support vessels. US Central Command said a commercial vessel trying to leave Iranian waters and break the US blockade had its engine disabled by a missile from a US fighter jet, with no casualties.

A rare visit on board showed the scale and cost of the operation. The ship carries 5,000 sailors and more than 60 aircraft, and is resupplied at sea about once a week with jet fuel, food and weapons. About 70 pallets an hour are moved across wires between hangar bays. The weapons include AMRAAM missiles costing about $1m each, SLAM-ER missiles at about $500,000 each, and bunker busters. Admiral Jeff Heems, commander of Carrier Strike Group 5, said his force must be ready for many different scenarios and that the mission could shift from the Strait of Hormuz to Yemen, or to peace.

Iran is still able to disrupt shipping. Attacks on cargo ships have increased and the number of commercial vessels crossing the Strait of Hormuz is down. The Iranian oil minister has threatened an immediate and appropriate response to any US threat to Iranian energy facilities. Houthi forces aligned with Iran have intensified strikes on Saudi Arabia and on parts of Yemen. The Bab al-Mandeb strait, west of Yemen, is also under threat. A report said the presidential compound in Aden was hit, with five people killed and 16 wounded, according to the Yemeni health minister. A ballistic missile attack on Riyadh airport has damaged the Saudi economy and forced the cancellation of two international conferences, including a health conference that expected 20,000 attendees. Saudi Arabia has asked Trump to help.

The timing is politically sensitive. The midterm elections are just over two weeks away, and fuel prices are a major pressure point for the president. Trump is seen as unpredictable, and crews on the carrier do not know whether he will turn the mission towards Yemen and the Houthis, escalate against Iran, or wait until after the vote. Analysts and officials have questioned how long the operation can last. Iran still has a ballistic missile programme and the ability to attack commercial shipping. The US Fifth Fleet headquarters in Bahrain was badly damaged earlier in the year and is now unusable, forcing American forces to operate further offshore. Critics say the carrier group cannot police the Strait of Hormuz forever, and that a single warship cannot crush the Houthis or finish the job in Iran. Diplomatic efforts remain elusive, with Oman's role as a broker between Iran and the United States still seen as important.