A US aircraft carrier and its strike group are likely to leave the West Asia region within a few days, CBS reported, citing a senior US official confirming on Wednesday.
The aircraft carrier USS Gerald R. Ford, which will leave the Gulf, is one of three U.S. aircraft carriers in the region, according to CBS News. This development comes even as US President Donald Trump refuses to lift the blockade of the Strait of Hormuz and may be considering a new wave of military action in Iran.
With talks between the United States and Iran stagnating, the return of the aircraft carrier will provide relief to about 4,500 sailors deployed there for more than 10 months. The other two aircraft carriers are the USS George H.W. Bush and the USS Abraham Lincoln, according to The Washington Post.
The Washington Post reported that the Fords are deployed in the Red Sea, while the Lincoln and Bush ships are operating in the Arabian Sea to impose the American blockade targeting ships carrying oil or goods from Iranian ports. Thus, Ford’s return would reduce the United States’ blockade power.
The aircraft carrier has been in service for 309 days, the longest period of any modern American aircraft at sea. The long duration had taken its toll on the ship, one of which was a laundry room fire that injured several sailors and problems with the toilets. According to a Washington Post report, once the ship returns to Virginia around mid-May, it will undergo further repairs and maintenance.
As reported by The Washington Post, during a congressional hearing on Wednesday (local time), several questioned US Secretary of War Pete Hegseth about the expanded deployment of the aircraft carrier.
“A difficult decision-making process led to the extension, in consultation with the Navy,” Hegseth said.
Typical tanker deployments last for six or seven months to keep the ships within their maintenance schedules, according to The Washington Post.
Earlier, the Axios news website reported that US Central Command Commander Admiral Brad Cooper is scheduled to question US President Donald Trump as the military considers a new wave of operations in Iran.
Meanwhile, according to a report by The Wall Street Journal, US President Donald Trump has instructed his aides to prepare for an extended blockade of Iran. According to officials, this is a high-risk attempt to force a nuclear surrender that Tehran has long rejected.
In an attempt to blow up the Iranian economy, Trump chose to continue blocking Iranian oil exports by blocking shipping to and from its ports. The Wall Street Journal reported that he judged that his other options – resuming bombing or walking away from the conflict – entailed greater risks than maintaining the blockade.
