The United States is moving a group of naval vessels, including two aircraft carriers, toward waters off Iran while President Trump warns of restoring a blockade on Iranian ports. Maritime observers reported that the USS Abraham Lincoln and USS George H.W. Bush entered the Gulf of Oman on Friday, placing them within range of Iranian missiles. Analysts said the move could support efforts to resume the port blockade that previously damaged Iran’s economy. A defense expert noted that vessels typically approach closer when preparing for blockades or strait transits. The US Central Command posted footage of nighttime flight operations aboard the USS George H.W. Bush in regional waters. It also stated that more than twenty Navy warships are active across the Middle East to support security. Earlier formations in the Arabian Sea had demonstrated American naval presence. The developments follow renewed US strikes on Iran after Trump linked recent attacks on shipping in the Strait of Hormuz to the breakdown of a ceasefire. Central Command said the additional strikes aim to reduce threats to navigation and hold Iran responsible for aggression against commercial vessels. Reports indicate a force of about nineteen ships, comprising the two carriers, an amphibious assault vessel with over one thousand Marines, fourteen destroyers, one cruiser, and an expeditionary sea base. Three carriers had been sent to the region earlier this year. The USS George H.W. Bush reached the area in April and operated in the Indian Ocean, while the USS Gerald R. Ford was in the Red Sea and the USS Abraham Lincoln remained nearby.
