USS Gerald R Ford will take about three weeks to sail to region, amid pressure on Iran’s nuclear and ballistic programmes
Donald Trump has ordered the world’s largest carrier to sail from the Caribbean Sea to the Middle East in an effort to increase pressure on Iran amid discussions over curbing its nuclear and ballistic missile programmes.
The USS Gerald R Ford and its supporting warships should take about three weeks to return to the region, where it will join the USS Abraham Lincoln, dramatically increasing the military firepower available to the US leader.
On Tuesday, Trump said he was “thinking” about sending a second carrier strike group to the Middle East, in an interview with Axios, though at that point he said he believed Tehran was willing to strike a nuclear deal.
The US and Iran held a round of indirect negotiations in Oman last week, and further discussions were expected to follow, but so far no date has been scheduled.
