Daily Strike — Morning Edition

Covering the window from Saturday 11:00 UTC to this morning: the Pentagon ordered a major new troop and carrier buildup, Trump’s security cabinet met in secret at Camp David, and the Hormuz tanker war showed no sign of slowing.

Top stories

Third carrier, 10,000 troops head toward Iran. Pentagon press secretary Maj. Gen. Pat Ryder confirmed the deployment of a third carrier strike group and up to 10,000 additional sailors and Marines to the Middle East. The USS Theodore Roosevelt and the USS Makin Island Amphibious Ready Group departed San Diego this week and are expected in theater by late November, which would put three carrier groups in the region at once for the first time since April. Full report: Pentagon sends third carrier, 10,000 troops toward Iran.

Camp David holds unannounced Iran-Yemen session. Vice President JD Vance chaired a multi-hour meeting Friday with Rubio, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, envoy Steve Witkoff, CIA Director John Ratcliffe and Gen. Dan Caine on both the Iran war and the Saudi-Houthi conflict near the Bab al-Mandeb Strait, Middle East Eye reported, citing Axios. The U.S. has twice declined direct Saudi requests for airstrike support in recent weeks.

Van Hollen presses Congress on war funding. Following the troop announcement, Sen. Chris Van Hollen said the administration “continues to hide service member casualties” and called for Congress to cut off funding for the conflict, Benzinga reported. Iranian officials separately warned of “painful” retaliation if U.S. strikes resume. The buildup follows last week’s expulsion of Iran’s UN delegation, covered in our prior report.

Markets

Brent crude traded near $102.70/bbl and WTI near $91.11/bbl as of the latest Trading Economics pricing, with Brent up roughly 44% versus its pre-crisis February baseline near $72. A Reuters poll of 30 economists and analysts cited by Oilprice.com raised its 2026 Brent forecast to an $89.05 average, up from $85.08 a month earlier, as hopes for a quick Hormuz normalization fade.

Secondary fronts

• Hormuz tanker war continues. Iran International reports two more tankers were hit near the Strait over the weekend, extending a pattern tracked in our earlier coverage of the Oman-area tanker strike and the Kuwaiti tanker incident.
• Rial keeps sliding. Iran International’s liveblog notes the rial sinking further on the open market amid the blockade and sanctions pressure, consistent with the currency collapse we flagged in our regional instability roundup.
• Defense industrial base benefits. The sustained posture follows the Navy’s recent $24.4 billion SM-6 missile award to RTX.

What to watch tomorrow

1. Whether the Pentagon names the specific units and ships rounding out the third carrier group beyond the Theodore Roosevelt and Makin Island elements.
2. Any Iranian government response to the Camp David talks or the troop announcement, including statements from Tehran’s Foreign Ministry.
3. Further movement on the Saudi-Yemeni counteroffensive against Houthi positions near Bab al-Mandeb, and whether U.S. posture on direct airstrike support shifts.

What we’re tracking but haven’t published on yet

Reports of a rare Iraqi crude tanker transit through Hormuz under an Iranian-approved exception, and the IAEA Board of Governors’ follow-up to its September 9 compliance resolution. Both need additional primary-source confirmation before we run them.

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— The America Strikes desk