Pentagon sends second aircraft carrier to Middle East as Trump warns Iran
The USS Carl Vinson is expected to vastly increase Washington's strike capabilities in the Gulf region as Trump gives Tehran a two-month deadline to reach a new nuclear agreement.
WASHINGTON — The Pentagon approved plans to send a second aircraft carrier to Middle Eastern waters as US airstrikes continue to hammer Houthi positions in Yemen.
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth on Thursday signed off on orders directing the USS Carl Vinson, a Nimitz-class carrier currently operating in the Pacific, to the Middle East, extending its deployment by three months, a US official confirmed to Al-Monitor.
The Vinson will join the USS Harry S. Truman strike group, which has been supporting the counter-Houthi strike campaign in the Red Sea and was expected to return to port at the end of the month.
Hegseth also extended the Truman’s deployment in the region for an additional month.
