The United States has ordered the deployment of the aircraft carrier USS Gerald R. Ford and its escort ships from the Caribbean Sea to the Middle East to reinforce the aircraft carrier USS Abraham Lincoln, which has been in the area since January. This naval movement occurs amid rising tensions between the US and Iran, especially in the context of prolonged nuclear negotiations.
CBS News reported, citing three US officials, that the aircraft carrier USS Gerald R. Ford and its escort fleet are preparing to move from the Caribbean to the Middle East, which will bring the total number of US aircraft carriers in the region to two amid escalating tensions with Iran.
The USS Ford, considered the most advanced aircraft carrier in the US Navy, will join the USS Abraham Lincoln and the amphibious strike group that arrived in the Middle East in January under the command of US Central Command (CENTCOM).
Previously, the USS Ford strike group had been stationed in the Caribbean since November for missions near Venezuela, during which US forces conducted dozens of drug trafficking interdiction operations and, last month, successfully arrested former President Nicolás Maduro and his wife.
President Donald Trump has continuously pressured Iran to agree to a new nuclear deal, threatening military measures if Iran does not restrict its nuclear program. He also strongly criticized Iran for violently suppressing anti-government protests last month.
In an interview with Axios on Tuesday, 10 Feb, Trump stated he is "considering" sending additional strike groups to the region and said, "If we can't reach an agreement, we will have to do something very severe like before," likely referring to the US strike on Iranian nuclear sites in June.
Most recently, on Thursday, Trump told reporters, "We have to reach a deal; otherwise, it will cause very severe damage," and predicted clarity on an agreement might emerge within the next month.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu expressed hope that Trump's intense pressure would create conditions forcing Iran to agree, thereby avoiding a potential future military confrontation.