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The aircraft carrier USS Gerald R. Ford (CVN-78), which had been operating in the Caribbean under the 4th Fleet, has been ordered to move to the Middle East, a U.S. official confirmed to Fox News.
The decision comes at a time when President Donald Trump is evaluating possible military actions against Iran amid the stalemate in negotiations over its nuclear program.
The move means that the United States will have two aircraft carriers and their escort ships deployed simultaneously in the region.
The USS Abraham Lincoln and three missile destroyers arrived in the Middle East over two weeks ago, bolstering the U.S. naval presence in the area under Central Command (CENTCOM).
The departure of the Gerald R. Ford marks a significant strategic shift. The vessel —the most modern and advanced in the U.S. Navy— had been moved last autumn from the Mediterranean to the Caribbean, where it remained as part of the extensive military deployment associated with the operation Southern Spear and the pressure applied against the networks transporting sanctioned oil in the Western Hemisphere.
Its presence in Caribbean waters was interpreted as a deterrent signal in a context of growing regional tension, especially due to its proximity to Cuba and the maritime routes linked to Venezuelan energy supplies.
Now, strategic attention is shifting to the Middle East. Trump warned on Thursday that if Iran does not reach an agreement with the United States regarding its nuclear program, the consequences would be "very traumatic."
"It should happen quickly. They should reach an agreement very soon," the president stated to the press after indirect talks between the two countries that took place last week in Oman.
The president also held talks with Israeli Prime Minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, to whom he insisted that negotiations with Tehran must continue. Netanyahu has called for any agreement to include limits on the Iranian ballistic missile program and an end to support for groups such as Hamas and Hezbollah.
The redistribution of the Gerald R. Ford leaves the Caribbean without its most advanced aircraft carrier, but confirms that Washington maintains its global projection capability, quickly reorienting its key naval assets towards the areas of highest international tension.
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