The U.S. Navy is sending a second carrier strike group to the Middle East as the conflict between Israel and Iran threatens to spiral out of control.
The aircraft carrier USS Nimitz, along with its nine air squadrons, and an escort force including five destroyers, is leaving the South China Sea to join the USS Carl Vinson strike group in the Arabian Sea, according to multiple media reports.
The aging nuclear-powered vessel is part of a wider buildup of firepower that has seen dozens of U.S. Air Force refueling planes transfer to Europe, two destroyers in the Mediterranean move closer to Israel, and military families at U.S. bases in the Middle East given permission to fly home for their safety.
More than 200 people in Iran and more than 20 in Israel have been killed by air strikes so far after Israel launched a surprise campaign against its longtime regional rival’s military leadership and nuclear facilities.
President Donald Trump has given mixed messages in public about the crisis, saying he thinks it’s “time for a deal” but that the two countries may have to “fight it out” first.
US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said on Monday he had ordered the deployment of additional defensive capabilities to the Middle East.
Hegseth did not disclose what military capabilities he sent to the region. But Reuters was the first to report earlier on Monday a deployment of a large number of US military refueling aircraft and the movement of an aircraft carrier to the Middle East.
“Protecting US forces is our top priority and these deployments are intended to enhance our defensive posture in the region,” Hegseth said in a post on social media platform X.
According to reports, Trump has grown more supportive of Israel’s strikes over the past few days but has also rejected an Israeli plan to assassinate Iran’s Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei. On Monday evening, he urged everyone to immediately evacuate Tehran and reiterated that Iran should have signed a nuclear deal with the United States.
“IRAN CAN NOT HAVE A NUCLEAR WEAPON. I said it over and over again! Everyone should immediately evacuate Tehran!” the president said in a post on Truth Social.
The strikes come after months of ironclad support by Trump for Israel’s brutal conduct in Gaza, including by using the U.S. veto in the United Nations to reject a resolution calling for a permanent ceasefire.
Israeli officials have claimed they were forced to act because it believes Iran is closer to developing a nuclear weapon.
First commissioned in 1975, the Nimitz is the Navy’s oldest serving aircraft carrier and is slated for retirement in 2026.
Nimitz-class aircraft carriers are the biggest ships in the Navy, measuring almost 1,100 ft from bow to stern. They are capable of operating for 20 years continuously without refueling due to their on-board nuclear power plants.
