USS Nimitz carrier strike group sailing toward Middle East ahead of schedule, US official says

The USS Nimitz bearer onslaught radical is connected its mode to the Middle East from the South China Sea, a U.S. authoritative told Fox News. 

The Nimitz onslaught radical was antecedently scheduled to regenerate the USS Carl Vinson bearer onslaught group, which has been deployed for respective months, but is present heading to the Middle East up of schedule. The 2 volition present beryllium successful the Middle East astatine the aforesaid time. 

USS Carl Vinson was the lone craft bearer successful the portion arsenic of past Friday, U.S. defence officials told Fox News. 

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USS Nimitz (CVN-68), the world's oldest nuclear-powered craft carrier, sails retired of San Diego Bay to the Pacific Ocean connected Nov. 18, 2024. (Kevin Carter/Getty Images)

USS Nimitz – commissioned connected May 3, 1975 – is the oldest progressive craft bearer in the U.S. Navy. This is perchance its last oversea voyage, arsenic the Nimitz is scheduled to beryllium decommissioned successful 2026. The deployment is important due to the fact that the Nimitz was besides deployed successful 1980 erstwhile its helicopters were portion of the failed U.S. effort known arsenic Operation Eagle Claw to rescue the American hostages being held astatine the US Embassy successful Tehran. The U.S. has been successful a shadiness warfare against Iran ever since. 

USS Nimitz departed the South China Sea connected Monday greeting and was heading west, Reuters reported, citing information from the vessel tracking website Marine Traffic. Two sources, including 1 diplomat, told Reuters the bearer had been scheduled to be a ceremonial reception successful Danang City, central Vietnam, connected June 20. 

It has since been canceled. 

One of the sources said the U.S. Embassy successful Hanoi notified him astir the reception being called disconnected owed to "an emergent operational requirement." 

The United States is shifting subject resources, including ships, successful the Middle East amid Israel's preemptive attacks connected Iranian atomic facilities and leadership and Iran's retaliatory strikes that person been ongoing for 4 consecutive days. 

A sportfishing vessel passes USS Nimitz (CVN-68) arsenic it sails retired of San Diego Bay to the Pacific Ocean to execute readiness drills earlier returning to its homeport of Naval Base Kitsap connected Nov. 18, 2024 successful San Diego. (Kevin Carter/Getty Images)

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American aerial defence systems and a Navy destroyer helped Israel sprout down ballistic missiles coming successful from Iran connected Friday, U.S. officials told Fox News.

The U.S. has some ground-based Patriot rocket defence systems and Terminal High Altitude Air Defense systems successful the Middle East susceptible of intercepting ballistic missiles.

The U.S. Navy besides had the destroyer USS Thomas Hudner, which is susceptible of defending against ballistic missiles, statesman sailing from the occidental Mediterranean Sea toward the eastbound Mediterranean, U.S. officials told Fox News. They said the Navy besides had directed different destroyer to determination guardant truthful it could beryllium disposable if requested by the White House.

An Israeli onslaught connected the Shahran lipid depot connected June 15, 2025 successful Tehran, Iran. (Stringer/Getty Images)

One of the officials cited the Nimitz, which was successful the Indo-Pacific astatine the time, arsenic good arsenic USS George Washington, which had conscionable near its larboard successful Japan, arsenic assets the Navy could perchance surge to the Middle East if truthful ordered. 

American combatant jets were besides patrolling the entity successful the Middle East to support unit and installations, and aerial bases successful the portion are taking further information precautions, the officials said.

Typically, astir 30,000 troops are based successful the Middle East, and astir 40,000 troops are successful the portion now, 1 of the U.S. officials told The Associated Press. That fig surged arsenic precocious arsenic 43,000 past October amid the ongoing tensions betwixt Israel and Iran arsenic good arsenic continuous attacks connected commercialized and subject ships successful the Red Sea by the Iranian-backed Houthis successful Yemen.

Former President Joe Biden initially surged ships to support Israel, a adjacent U.S. ally, pursuing the Oct. 7, 2023 attacks by Iran-backed Hamas terrorists. It was seen astatine the clip arsenic a deterrent against Lebanon-based Hezbollah and Iran.

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On Oct. 1, 2024, U.S. Navy destroyers fired astir a twelve interceptors successful defence of Israel arsenic the state came nether onslaught by much than 200 missiles fired by Iran.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.