The aircraft carrier USS Gerald R Ford and its battle group, which was sent to the Caribbean after months in European waters, is now being sent to the Middle East to join the USS Abraham Lincoln carrier group in threatening Iran. According to The New York Times, citing four unnamed officials, the ship’s crew was informed of the decision on Thursday. The Ford departed Norfolk on June 24, and is now not expected to return until late April or early May, making for a roughly ten month deployment. The Times notes that the new delay will further jeopardize the Ford’s scheduled dry dock period in Virginia, where major upgrades and repairs have been planned.
Unnamed sources, meanwhile told the Middle East Spectator that Iran would interpret the deployment of a second American aircraft carrier to the Middle East as ‘a definite step towards war', noting that it would undermine the ongoing negotiations. “Iran will not allow additional military threats during the negotiation process, and this will be seen as a sign of false intentions and insincerity from the Americans,” the sources said.
The report about the Ford aircraft carrier came as President Donald Trump again jacked up his “make a deal or else” threats. Asked by a reporter at the White House yesterday about the timeline he envisions for a deal to be ironed out, Trump said, “I guess over the next month, something like that, should happen quickly.”
