This action served as another indication of growing strain in relations between the United States and Iran.
The most powerful aircraft carrier in the world USS Gerald R. Ford / © Associated Press
The Department of Defense has directed a second carrier strike group to get ready for stationing to the Middle East, as the US gears up for a potential assault on Iran.
This is according to a report in The NYT.
The information arose after US President Donald Trump stated on Tuesday that he was mulling over dispatching a second aircraft carrier, the USS Gerald R. Ford, to the Middle East to prepare for military measures if discussions with Iran prove unsuccessful.
Per the publication's sources, the ship's personnel were notified that in the Persian Gulf it would link up with a strike group spearheaded by the aircraft carrier USS Abraham Lincoln, which has been present there since the close of January.
The aircraft carrier’s company was supposed to head back to base in early March, but on account of the repositioning, the sailors will probably not be able to return home until late April or early May.
Based on formal US figures, roughly 30,000 American armed forces members are presently stationed in the area under the responsibility of US Central Command. Concurrently, three operational US aircraft carriers are situated outside of the Middle East: USS George Washington in Japan, USS Abraham Lincoln in the Indo-Pacific Command area, and USS Gerald R. Ford in the US Southern Command area. Two more aircraft carriers near Norfolk and San Diego are not on dynamic combat assignment.
What came before
Amid increasing hostilities between the administration of US President Donald Trump and the Iranian government, the Pentagon is relocating an aircraft carrier strike group from the South China Sea to the US Central Command zone of responsibility, which encompasses the Middle East.
On January 14, Reuters, citing sources, indicated that US intervention in the Iranian situation was probable and might transpire in a day’s time.
US President Donald Trump has urged an end to the governance of Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, who has presided over the nation for 37 years. He suggests that it is time to locate a new leader in Iran.
Trump subsequently revealed the positioning of a substantial American fleet in the direction of Iran and threatened a significantly tougher offensive if Tehran declined to negotiate concerning its nuclear scheme.
Background: The USS Gerald R. Ford is the world's largest carrier. It can hold 4,500 crew members and 70 airplanes and is deemed by the US Navy to be “the most competent, adaptable and lethal combat platform globally.”
Gerald R. Ford measures over 335 meters in length, operates on atomic power and is furnished with an advanced catapult structure for electromagnetically launching planes, cutting-edge radars and nuclear reactors that continuously power the ship’s machinery.