Washington, April 30 (ANI) — The USS Gerald R. Ford and its strike group are expected to depart the West Asia region within days, CBS News reported, citing a senior U.S. official. The Ford is one of three U.S. aircraft carriers operating in the area; its withdrawal comes as U.S.-Iran negotiations have stalled and President Donald Trump resists lifting the Strait of Hormuz blockade while weighing additional military options against Iran.
The carrier’s return will provide relief to nearly 4,500 sailors who have been deployed for more than ten months. The other two carriers in the region are the USS George H.W. Bush and the USS Abraham Lincoln, which have been enforcing a U.S. blockade in the Arabian Sea aimed at vessels carrying oil or goods to and from Iranian ports, the Washington Post reported. The Ford has been operating in the Red Sea; its departure will reduce U.S. naval presence directly supporting the blockade.
Deployed for 309 days, the Gerald R. Ford has logged the longest continuous deployment of any modern U.S. carrier. Extended time at sea has taken a toll on the ship: sailors were injured in a laundry-room fire earlier in the deployment, and the carrier has faced ongoing maintenance issues, including plumbing problems. Upon returning to its homeport in Virginia around mid-May, the Ford is expected to undergo additional repairs and scheduled upkeep.
At a congressional hearing, lawmakers questioned Pete Hegseth about the extended deployment. Hegseth defended the decision, saying, “A tough decision-making process led to the extension, in consultation with the Navy.” Typical carrier deployments run six to seven months to preserve maintenance cycles, the Washington Post noted.
Axios reported that CENTCOM commander Admiral Brad Cooper is set to brief President Trump as the military evaluates potential further operations against Iran. The Wall Street Journal reported separately that the president has ordered aides to prepare for a prolonged blockade of Iran — a move described by officials as a high-risk effort intended to pressure Tehran to abandon its nuclear ambitions. According to the Journal, Trump has decided to continue blocking Iranian oil exports and maritime traffic rather than resume bombing or disengage, viewing the blockade as the lower-risk option.
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