Trump sends America’s biggest warship, advanced fighters toward Iran in biggest military buildup yet
President Donald Trump is deploying the USS Gerald R. Ford—the world’s largest warship—to the Middle East alongside a substantial force of aerial refueling tankers and advanced F-22 and F-35 strike fighters, according to multiple reports.
The significant buildup of U.S. military assets is the clearest signal yet that Trump may be preparing for large-scale strikes against Iran if high-stakes negotiations over Tehran’s nuclear program and its crackdown on protesters fail.
The nuclear-powered aircraft carrier Ford and its strike group departed the Atlantic on Tuesday and are heading toward the Strait of Gibraltar, the gateway to the Mediterranean Sea, according to USNI. The carrier is expected to join the USS Abraham Lincoln strike group in the Middle East in a major show of force as U.S. negotiations with Iran continue.
The Ford—America’s most advanced and largest-ever aircraft carrier—can carry more than 75 aircraft, including F-35C stealth fighters, F/A-18F Super Hornets, and EA-18G Growler electronic-warfare jets. Its strike group includes three destroyers: USS Bainbridge, USS Mahan, and USS Winston Churchill.
Before this deployment, the carrier had been operating in the Caribbean Sea since mid-November as part of U.S. naval operations supporting Trump’s regional missions in South America.
The Ford’s movement comes amid a broader U.S. military buildup in the Middle East, with Trump declining to rule out military action against Iran as negotiations stall. In addition to the Lincoln group, the U.S. has four destroyers operating in the Arabian Sea and three more patrolling the Strait of Hormuz.
The destroyer USS Delbert Black is positioned in the Red Sea, while two U.S. combat ships are currently in the Persian Gulf.
The U.S. has also shifted more than 50 fighter jets into the region, according to Axios. The aircraft include F-16s, F-22s, and F-35s tracked by independent flight monitors. The stealth capabilities of the latter models could allow U.S. forces to strike Iranian targets while evading the country’s air-defense systems.
These jets will reinforce additional warplanes deployed in recent weeks to bases in Jordan, the United Arab Emirates, and Saudi Arabia. Military analysts say the massed deployment would enable the U.S. to conduct deep strikes inside Iran while also providing defensive cover for American troops and regional allies.
Iran has repeatedly warned it would retaliate against U.S. forces and partners if attacked. Earlier this week, Tehran closed the Strait of Hormuz to conduct live missile drills.
About Post Author
