Iran could be in a bigger trouble as the United States Navy’s newest and biggest aircraft carrier—the USS Gerald R. Ford, is set to be deployed to the Mediterranean.
According to media reports, it’s the latest public movement of military hardware to the region as the Iran-Israel conflict escalates further.
The USS Ford, America’s flagship 1,100-foot nuclear-powered carrier, is expected to be sent to Europe as soon as next week, making it the third US aircraft carrier group in the region, CNN’s senior national reporter Zachary Cohen reported on Wednesday.
Though, the moves by the U.S. military have been made with an eye toward protecting American troops stationed in the Middle East, a senior Defense official said.
There are about 40,000 U.S. service members there.
“We are postured defensively in the region to be strong, in pursuit of a peace deal,” Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth told Fox News in a June 16 interview.
The Pentagon has not been involved in Israel’s offensive strikes on Israel, according to a second U.S. official who was not authorized to speak publicly.
Iran has been warned that any strike on U.S. troops will be met with a strong response. That official characterized the movement of additional forces to the region as a show of force.
