Amid Iranian threats, USS commands US Nimitz to stay in the Middle East

Amid Iranian threats, USS commands US Nimitz to stay in the Middle East

by

Miller said in a statement Sunday night that he had “ordered the USS Nimitz to halt its routine redeployment.” The carrier will now “remain in the U.S. operating area,” Miller added. “No one should doubt the intent of the United States of America.”

Last week, the acting Minister of Defense decided to extend the deployment of the carrier in the Persian Gulf, a surprising step in light of growing tensions between Washington and Tehran over the commemoration of the assassination of Iranian General Qasem Soleimani last year. In the last days of 2020, US nuclear B-52 bombers flew to the Middle East, asking a senior Iranian military adviser to tweet directly at Trump and warning him “not to mourn the new year for Americans to change. ”

Iran on Thursday called on the United Nations Security Council to prevent the United States from embarking on an increased “military adventure” in the Gulf and Oman Sea, including sending nuclear bombers to the region, declaring that it does not want conflict. had but would defend himself if necessary.

According to US sources, some Iranian military forces have increased their readiness levels in recent days, after moving short-range ballistic missiles to Iraq, where they could potentially strike at US bases, as Iran did in the days after Soleimani’s assassination last year.

Trump has taken a consistently hard line on Iran, with the two countries appearing close to the war following Soleimani’s death, although tensions eased significantly during the coronavirus pandemic.

As the president’s term is short, some analysts in Washington speculate that Trump may cause a conflict with Iran to divert his attention from his failed, unfounded attempts to overthrow his election loss and complicate his successor’s plans for the region. .

“I’m really worried that the president might think of saddling President-elect Biden with some kind of military operation on the way out the door,” said Tom Nichols, an international business expert who teaches at US Naval War College. said.

Iranian Foreign Minister Javad Zarif himself on Thursday accused Trump of creating a pretext for war.

Elected President Joe Biden wants to facilitate Trump’s “maximum pressure” campaign against Tehran, resume involvement and return to the nuclear deal in Iran. All the steps taken by the Trump administration are fierce – and for some reason some analysts say that if Iran launches any attack, it will be carefully calibrated.

“Iran poses a real threat to US national security, especially during this period of increased risk due to the upcoming anniversary of the Soleimani assassination,” said Sam Vinograd, former National Security Council official and CNN analyst.

However, Vinograd added: “I do think that Iran will calibrate any attack that accompanies this commemoration because they do not want to invade themselves before Biden takes office and apparently start nuclear negotiations again which will lead to the lifting of sanctions. “

CNN’s James Griffiths contributed to this report.

.Source