Against the backdrop of talks between the US and Iran, with the strike option still on the table, the aircraft carrier USS Gerald R. Ford and its escort ships will be redirected to the Middle East and are not expected to return to their home ports until late April or early May.
According to a New York Times report citing official sources, the new orders issued to the Ford direct it to join the strike group led by the aircraft carrier USS Abraham Lincoln in the Persian Gulf, as part of President Trump's renewed pressure campaign against Iran. Earlier this week, Trump hinted that he wanted to send a second aircraft carrier to the region – and indeed he has.
The aircraft carrier Ford departed Norfolk, Virginia, on June 24 and was originally planned for a European deployment. The tensions between the US and Iran, which also included military action on South American soil, redirected it to the Caribbean as part of Trump's pressure campaign.
The Ford's fighter jets participated in the January 3 attack on Caracas, which led to the capture of President Nicolas Maduro.
