REPORT: U.S. Dispatches Plane Provider To Center East Amid Iran Tensions
The Pentagon is moving a carrier strike group from the South China Sea to the U.S. Central Command area of responsibility, which includes the Middle East, amid escalating tensions with Iran.
According to a report from NewsNation a strike group centered around at least one aircraft carrier, several other vessels and at least one attack submarine is set to arrive in the region within a week. The USS Abraham Lincoln was listed as the aircraft carrier that will deploy, the outlet reported.
Additional assets are also being re-deployed, mostly from Europe. These include an array of warplanes such as fighter jets, attack planes, and refueling aircraft. The Pentagon is also dispatching more air defense equipment, including interceptor missiles, to protect U.S. bases in the region, according to a separate report from the New York Times.
The U.S. also maintains a sizable military footprint across various airbases in Qatar, Kuwait, Iraq, the United Arab Emirates and Syria. The U.S. Navy’s 5th Fleet is also headquartered in Bahrain, while the Prince Sultan Air Base in Saudi Arabia houses Patriot missile batteries and Terminal High Altitude Area Defense systems.
The USS Abraham Lincoln (CVN-72) conducts high-speed turn drills in the Atlantic Ocean during sea trials on 11 May 2017
The buildup comes after President Donald Trump indicated that military action could be on the table due to the Iranian government’s crackdown on protesters, which has left hundreds dead. In addition to deploying military assets, the U.S. government has taken precautionary measures by withdrawing some personnel from potentially at-risk bases in the event of a conflict with Iran and its proxies.
Specifically, non-essential personnel have been advised to leave Al Udeid Air Base in Qatar. Similar actions were noted at other sites, echoing steps taken before U.S. strikes on Iranian nuclear facilities in June of last year.
On Wednesday, President Trump reiterated that all options remain on the table regarding the ongoing unrest in Iran. While speaking with reporters in the Oval Office, the president stated that he had been informed by the Iranian government that killings of protesters had stopped.
He described the talks as assurances from “very important sources on the other side” and said the U.S. would “watch and see what the process is.”
Earlier, Trump had warned of “grave consequences” if the crackdown continued, including potential military action.