The USS Gerald R. Ford aircraft carrier, along with its escort ships, is set to leave the Caribbean for the Middle East, amid ongoing tensions between the United States and Iran.
The Ford, the Navy’s most advanced aircraft carrier, will join the USS Abraham Lincoln and its strike group, which arrived in the Middle East last month under the oversight of U.S. Central Command.
Since November, the Ford strike group has been operating in the Caribbean as part of a broader U.S. military presence in the region.
During this time, American forces conducted multiple operations targeting drug trafficking and other regional security threats.
Sources that spoke to New York Times on February 12, said that the redeployment of the Ford will extend its mission in the Middle East for several months.
President Donald Trump has signalled that the U.S. is prepared to take decisive action should Iran fail to comply with U.S. demands.
On February 12, Trump issued a fresh warning to Iran, saying failure to reach a nuclear agreement with Washington could lead to a “very traumatic” outcome.
He tied the military build-up directly to diplomatic negotiations, warning Iran that rejecting a deal could lead to serious consequences.
“We have to make a deal, otherwise it’s going to be very traumatic. Very traumatic. I don’t want that to happen, but we have to make a deal. They should have made a deal the first time, and they got midnight hammer instead. And this will be very traumatic for Iran if they don’t make a deal. Look, if they don’t make a deal, then it’ll be a different story,” Trump said.
This comes a month after President Trump confirmed that the United States conducted a large-scale operation in Venezuela, resulting in the capture of President Nicolás Maduro and his wife.
The US President said the operation was conducted in coordination with U.S. law enforcement agencies and that President Maduro and his wife were apprehended and flown out of Venezuela.
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Several US military transport aircraft were observed crossing the Atlantic toward Europe in the month of January, with many expected to continue onward to the Middle East.
The operation highlighted a significant movement of personnel and equipment by the United States.
A flight tracking map from Flightradar24 showed multiple United States Air Force Boeing C-17 Globemaster III aircraft in transit.
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Key flight details include: RCH847 departed from Wrightstown (WRI), RCH4551 departed from Camp Springs (ADW), RCH455 departed from Killeen (GRK), RCH253 departed from Omaha (OFF), RCH347 departed from Portsmouth (PSM) and RCH820 departed from St. John’s (YYT).
The tracking map also showed the aircrafts following transatlantic routes from the eastern United States toward Europe.
Many of the planes were flying along similar paths, suggesting a coordinated movement.
Last year, Iran’s Supreme Leader, Ali Khamenei, claimed that the United States and possibly its allies were backing Israel’s missile defense systems, warning of potential retaliatory strikes against U.S. targets.
In response, President Donald Trump issued warning, stating that any attack by Iran would be met with “the full strength and might of the U.S. Armed Forces at levels never seen before.”
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