BEIRUT, LEBANON (3:10 P.M.) – The US aircraft supercarrier USS Nimitz has returned to the North Arabian Sea, as Washington reduces its forces inside Afghanistan and Iraq.
The US Navy said in a tweet this week: “Nimitz Strike Group, is deployed to the U.S. 5th Fleet to ensure maritime stability and security in the Central Region, connecting the Mediterranean and Pacific through the Western Indian Ocean and three critical chokepoints to the free flow of global commerce.”
The aircraft carrier USS Nimitz (CVN 68) and Carrier Air Wing 17 continue to support regional maritime security from the North Arabian Sea. https://t.co/OfcdzkdfMF
— U.S. 5th Fleet (@US5thFleet) December 2, 2020
The USS Nimitz previously left the Gulf region to participate in the Malabar joint exercises with India on November 17th, but the maneuvers concluded on the 20th.
The deployment of this supercarrier to the Persian Gulf also comes at a time of great tension with regional power, Iran, who is poised to retaliate against those behind the assassination of nuclear scientist Mohsen Fakhrizadeh on November 27th.
Washington said the deployment of the supercarrier to the Persian Gulf was already scheduled before the assassination of Fakhrizadeh; however, even so, the presence of the warship near the strategic Strait of Hormuz does does create apprehension in the region, as a possible Iranian retaliatory response against the forces behind the nuclear scientist’s assassination could further escalate the situation.
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