US Tracks Aircraft Carrier Near Iran Amid Rising Tensions
US and Iranian officials are scheduled to meet in Switzerland on Tuesday for a second round of talks. Iran says the discussions will focus on its nuclear program and the possible lifting of US-imposed economic sanctions, while Washington has indicated it also wants to address other issues.
The Abraham Lincoln, which leads a strike group including three guided missile destroyers, carries 90 aircraft, including F-35 fighters, and 5,680 crew members. The carrier was reportedly deployed to the Gulf region in late January but has only now been located via satellite approximately 700 km from Iran, off the coast of Oman.
The US has also reportedly sent the USS Gerald R. Ford, the world’s largest warship, to the Middle East, expected to arrive within the next three weeks.
The carrier’s arrival adds to a growing US military presence in the region, where satellite imagery has tracked destroyers, combat ships, and fighter jets. Publicly available European Sentinel-2 satellite images show the Abraham Lincoln in the Arabian Sea, about 240 km off Oman.
Overall, satellite monitoring has identified 12 US ships in the Middle East, including the Abraham Lincoln and its accompanying strike group of Arleigh Burke-class destroyers, two additional long-range missile-capable destroyers, and three specialized near-shore combat vessels at Bahrain naval station. Two other destroyers are positioned near Souda Bay in the eastern Mediterranean, and one more in the Red Sea.
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