USS Nimitz Strike Group Returning to Gulf of Persia as Iran Threatens Retaliation for Assassination
The USS Nimitz aircraft carrier and its strike group are en route to the Persian Gulf amid expected troop withdrawals in the region, and now the potential threat from Iran following a high-profile assassination in the country on Friday.
President Donald Trump has ordered thousands of Troops to pull out of Iraq and Afghanistan in the coming months.
To complicate matters, Mohsen Fakhrizadeh, the father of Iran’s nuclear program, was killed near Tehran Friday in a bloody attack.
Fakhrizadeh died in the province of Damavand near Absard, which is located roughly 40 miles east of Tehran.
The scientist is one of five Iranian nuclear scientists killed in similar attacks in recent years.
While no country has accepted responsibility for Fakhrizadeh’s killing, Iran has pointed the finger at Israel, while some have speculated the scientist’s death could drag the U.S. into an engagement.
NBC News, citing Iranian state media, reported Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei vowed Friday a “definitive punishment” for the death of the country’s top nuclear scientist.
Describing Fakhrizadeh “martyr,” Khamenei promised retribution while avoiding being specific.
Amid the delicate situation in the region, one of the U.S. Navy’s carrier groups will bring a larger American presence to the gulf.
USA Today reported the ship is on the way to assist with President Donald Trump’s expected troops withdrawals in Afghanistan and Iraq.
The Nimitz had recently been deployed near Japan and is on a prolonged deployment after leaving its home port in Bremerton, Washington, in April.
The nuclear-powered supercarrier has been in service since being commissioned in 1975, and is a floating fortress.
The timing of the ship’s redeployment cannot be ignored.
In January of this year, following the killing of top Iranian Gen. Qasem Soleimani by a U.S. drone strike, the country retaliated.
American troops in Iraq were targeted by rocket attacks, but no deaths were reported.
Tensions eventually died down, but with Fakhrizadeh’s Friday death, Defesne Department officials are not taking any chances.
A DoD official told USA Today ship will be used in any capacity needed, although there is no specific threat as of now.
“This action ensures we have sufficient capability available to respond to any threat and to deter any adversary from acting against our troops during the force reduction,” a department official said.
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