A U.S. Navy official announced on Friday that the aircraft carrier USS Gerald R. Ford will set course for Europe next week, making it the third U.S. aircraft carrier to be positioned near the Middle East amid rising tensions.
اضافة اعلان
The U.S. military has conducted multiple exercises over the past week following the outbreak of war between Washington's ally Israel and Iran. On Thursday, President Donald Trump gave himself a two-week deadline to decide on possible direct military action against Tehran.
According to the Navy official, the Gerald R. Ford is scheduled to depart its home port in Norfolk, on the U.S. East Coast, on the morning of June 24, as part of a pre-planned deployment toward Europe.
The USS Gerald R. Ford is the first in a new generation of supercarriers. It weighs 100,000 tons, runs on nuclear power, and officially entered service in 2017.
Currently, the USS Carl Vinson has been stationed in the Middle East for several months, having taken part in U.S. airstrikes against Houthi rebels in Yemen. Meanwhile, the USS Nimitz, previously anchored in the South China Sea, is also en route to the Middle East.
Over the past week, large military aircraft have departed from the U.S. toward American bases in Europe, while dozens of warplanes have been withdrawn from Al-Udeid Air Base in Qatar as a precaution against potential Iranian strikes.
Before the outbreak of the current conflict, Washington had been engaged in indirect negotiations with Tehran over its nuclear program. However, Iran has refused to resume talks as long as Israeli attacks against it continue.
— (Agencies)
