The aircraft carrier USS Nimitz departed Southeast Asia on Monday, scrapping a planned stop in Vietnam, amid reports it is being redirected to the Middle East to reinforce the U.S. military presence as tensions escalate between Israel and Iran.
At 13:45 GMT, the carrier was traveling through the Malacca Strait toward the Indian Ocean, according to Marine Traffic, a ship-tracking site.
A Vietnamese government official confirmed to AFP that a planned reception aboard the USS Nimitz on June 20, as part of the ship's expected June 19-23 visit to Danang, had been canceled.
The official shared a letter from the U.S. embassy announcing that the Defense Department was canceling the event due to "an emergent operational requirement."
The U.S. Embassy in Hanoi declined to comment to AFP, as did a spokesman for the Nimitz.
