The Bush left Naval Base Norfolk, Virginia, on Tuesday, according to a Navy news release. It could take weeks for the carrier to reach the region. The “Lincoln” is operating in the Arabian Sea, and the “Gerald R. Ford” is currently in the port of the Croatian city of Split for what are expected to be lengthy repairs.
The relocation comes as President Trump is examining further military options in Iran and at the same time additional US troops are being relocated to the region. A naval expeditionary unit aboard amphibious warfare ships reached the Middle East over the weekend.
Israel’s army says it has bombed a key supplier in Iran for the alleged development of chemical weapons. The army claimed that night that the factory, which posed as a civilian company, supplied the power apparatus with chemical substances, including fentanyl, for the research and development of chemical weapons. The information could not initially be independently verified. It is not known whether Iran was actually working on developing chemical weapons for military use.
