Close on the heels of US President Donald Trump’s warning on Thursday that Iran will face a "very traumatic" outcome if no deal is reached within a month, the world’s biggest warship has set sail for the Middle Eastern waters. As per reports, the US has redeployed its biggest aircraft carrier, USS Gerald R. Ford, from the Caribbean Sea to the Middle East.
The USS Gerald R. Ford will join USS Abraham Lincoln in the Arabian Sea as tension mounts in the Middle East. The nuclear-powered aircraft carrier commissioned in 2017 is the lead ship in the carrier strike group, which will be accompanied by five guided-missile destroyers. The carrier has a displacement of more than 100,000 tons and a length of 1,106 feet (337 meters) to become the largest warship afloat.
According to reports, the crew of the Ford was informed of this deployment on Thursday, February 13. The sailors on the Ford had initially expected to return home in about two weeks, but the new mission will delay the ship's scheduled return to the Virginia coast to undergo major upgrades and repairs. Reports quoting US officials said that USS Gerald R. Ford and its accompanying escort ships are not expected to return to their home ports until mid-to-late May.
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The aircraft carrier was previously moved from the Mediterranean to the Caribbean as part of a major US military build-up linked to an operation involving Venezuela. The USS Gerald R. Ford, loaded with 90+ F-35s, F-15Es, and F-22 Raptors. Fighter jets based on the Ford participated in the January 3rd attack on the Venezuelan capital and the capture of former President Nicolas Maduro.
The move comes as US President Donald Trump announced in recent days that he would send another carrier to the region in order to increase pressure on the Islamic Republic. Once the carrier arrives at the Arabian Sea, the US will be uniquely positioned to conduct sustained air operations targeting Iran if needed.
Besides the groups, USS Delbert D. Black, USS Mitscher, and USS McFaul are already in the Persian Gulf theatre, all of which possess advanced naval and air defence capabilities and can launch missile strikes.
They believe that advances in US military capacity mean it is also possible that Washington can again use strategic B2 bombers just like it used in June 2025 to strike deep inside Iran. They can come from the United States or Diego Garcia, a US air base in the Indian Ocean.