In a bold show of force, the United States has redirected a second aircraft carrier group, the USS Nimitz, to the Middle East as the confrontation between Iran and Israel threatens to spiral further out of control.
Originally scheduled to arrive in central Vietnam after operations in the South China Sea, the USS Nimitz—the oldest of America’s nuclear-powered carriers—was abruptly rerouted on Monday due to what U.S. military sources described as “an emergent operational requirement,” according to Reuters.
The sudden change in course was first detected by the ship-tracking platform Marine Traffic, raising speculation about heightened U.S. involvement in the region.
The Pentagon’s strategic repositioning doesn’t stop there. U.S. defense officials also confirmed the deployment of a substantial fleet of aerial refueling aircraft to Europe, providing President Trump with expanded military options for rapid-response operations in the Middle East.
The move comes just weeks after the USS Harry S. Truman made headlines when two of its $60 million fighter jets plunged into the Red Sea while performing evasive maneuvers to dodge missiles launched by Iran-backed Houthi rebels in Yemen.
Now, with a second carrier strike group on station and the fourth consecutive day of missile exchanges between Iran and Israel underway, America’s decision to bolster its military footprint underscores growing fears that the regional conflict could ignite a broader war.
