WW3 tensions reach breaking point as US aircraft carrier tracked near Iran | World | News
Satellite images confirmed the presence of the US aircraft carrier USS Abraham Lincoln off the coast of Oman, about 700 kilometers from Iran, at a time when Washington continues to increase pressure on Tehran over its nuclear program and recent crackdown on protesters. The deployment comes as U.S. and Iranian officials prepare for a second round of talks in Switzerland on Tuesday focused on Iran’s nuclear program and the potential lifting of America’s economic sanctions. Washington stated that it wanted to address additional issues in the discussions.
Abraham Lincoln’s presence forms part of the broader US military build-up in the Middle East. European Sentinel-2 satellite images were used to locate the carrier, which led a strike group of three guided missile destroyers, carried 90 aircraft including F-35 fighter jets, and had a crew of 5,680. The carrier was reportedly deployed to the Gulf at the end of January but had not previously been captured in satellite images due to limited coverage of offshore areas.
The team is at: BBC Verify tracked 12 US ships, including Abraham Lincoln’s carrier strike group, additional destroyers capable of long-range missile strikes, and specialist warships based at Bahrain’s naval base. Two destroyers were observed near Souda Bay in the Eastern Mediterranean and one destroyer was observed in the Red Sea.
US aircraft deployments have also increased, with more F-15 and EA-18 fighter jets deployed at Jordan’s Muwaffaq Salti Air Base, as well as additional cargo, refueling and communications aircraft arriving from the US and Europe.
In parallel, it is reported that the USA will send the world’s largest warship, USS Gerald R Ford, to the Middle East and it will probably arrive within three weeks. In a clear display of military capability, the Abraham Lincoln was surrounded by destroyers, fighter jets, surveillance planes and coast guard ships in the Arabian Sea, U.S. Central Command said in February.
Ran responded with her own show of power. The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) conducted a naval exercise in the Strait of Hormuz, a vital oil transit route, on Monday. The Revolutionary Guard’s Tasnim News Agency reported that Major General Mohammed Pakpour was seen inspecting ships and supervising missile launches. About one-fifth of the world’s oil and natural gas passes through the strait, including exports from Kharg Island, Iran’s main oil terminal.
“The current US build-up is more in-depth and sustainable than previous operations such as the attempted capture of former Venezuelan president Nicholas Maduro or the airstrikes on Iran’s nuclear facilities during Operation Midnight Hammer last year,” military intelligence expert Justin Crump told BBC Verify.
Unlike previous operations, the current deployment is capable of sustaining prolonged combat, with eight US air bases in the region supporting a potential sortie rate of approximately 800 aircraft missions per day.
Mr. Crump added: “What we are seeing is not just preparation for attack, but a broader deterrent deployment that can be scaled up or down. This is designed to maintain an engagement and counter any potential response to US assets in the region and, of course, to Israel.”
Abraham Lincoln’s confirmed position underscores rising tensions in the Gulf and underscores the region’s strategic importance to both U.S. and Iranian military planning.
