U.S. Aircraft Carrier Strike Group Arrives in Middle East... Additional Military Assets Including Fighter Jets Deployed

Trump Weighs Airstrike on Iran

The U.S. aircraft carrier, which had left the South China Sea under the orders of President Donald Trump, has arrived in the Middle East.

The U.S. Central Command, which oversees the Middle East region, announced on the 26th (local time) via X (formerly Twitter) that the Abraham Lincoln carrier strike group has now been deployed to the Middle East to promote regional security and stability.

President Trump has repeatedly stated that he could attack Iran, raising issues with the Iranian government's violent suppression of anti-government protesters.

According to The Wall Street Journal (WSJ), the Abraham Lincoln carrier is equipped with F-35C and F/A-18 fighter jets, as well as EA-18G electronic warfare aircraft. The three destroyers that make up the strike group are capable of launching Tomahawk cruise missiles.

There had been no aircraft carrier in the Middle East since the Gerald R. Ford carrier, which was originally stationed there, moved to the Caribbean last fall for a military operation in Venezuela. The Abraham Lincoln carrier has moved from the South China Sea to the Middle East.

The United States is not only reinforcing the region with a carrier strike group but also with additional military assets. F-15E fighter jets have been deployed to a base in Jordan, and air defense weapons such as Patriot and THAAD (Terminal High Altitude Area Defense) systems are being deployed in the region to defend U.S. military bases and allied countries against possible Iranian retaliation.