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The USS George H.W. Bush carrier strike group departed Norfolk, Virginia, earlier this week on its regularly scheduled deployment and is headed to the Middle East.
The deployment could bring the total number of U.S. aircraft carriers dedicated to combat operations against Iran to three, two U.S. officials told ABC News.
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The Bush carrier strike group includes three destroyers: the USS Ross, the USS Donald Cook, and the USS Mason. It is unclear how long it will take the group to reach the Middle East.
The USS Gerald R. Ford and USS Abraham Lincoln carrier strike groups are currently deployed to operations in the Middle East.
The Ford left Norfolk last June on what has become an 11-month deployment extended to May.
It is currently in Crete receiving repairs following a recent fire aboard the carrier, and it remains unclear whether it will return to the CENTCOM area of operations after repairs are completed or remain in the Eastern Mediterranean.
The Lincoln has been operating in the northern Arabian Sea, conducting regular combat flight missions over Iran.
CBS News was the first to report the Bush's deployment to the Middle East.
While peace talks between Washington and Tehran are still in the early stages of negotiations, U.S. officials, who spoke to CBS News under condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to speak publicly, said: "the carrier could potentially join the ongoing operations against Iran."
The U.S. and Israel have maintained airstrikes on Iran since Feb. 28, killing so far over 1,340 people, including then-Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei.
Iran has retaliated with drone and missile strikes targeting Israel, along with Jordan, Iraq, and Gulf countries hosting U.S. military assets, causing casualties and damage to infrastructure while disrupting global markets and aviation.
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