Earlier, US Fifth Fleet Commander Vice Admiral Jim Malloy said the Navy would not rule out sending the USS Abraham Lincoln carrier strike group through the Strait of Hormuz, the strategic narrow body of water separating the Persian Gulf from the Arabian Sea, if doing so was found to be necessary.
The US Nimitz-class supercarrier deployed to the Middle East amid escalating tensions between Washington and Tehran remains deployed outside the Persian Gulf amid apparent attempts to de-escalate the situation, the carrier's commanding officer has said.
“You don't want to inadvertently escalate something,” Captain Putnam Browne said, speaking to the Associated Press on Monday during a visit by reporters to the carrier.
The USS Abraham Lincoln and its escorts, including three destroyers and a guided-missile cruiser, are presently stationed an estimated 200 miles (320 km) off the Coast of Oman in the Arabian Sea.
Rear Admiral John F.G. Wade, the strike group's commander, maintained that his ships remained ready to “conduct any mission wherever and whenever needed,” but declined to discuss any specifics.
“They [Iran] do impose a threat to our operations, but also to the safety and security of commerce and trade going through the Strait of Hormuz and that's why we are here,” commander Wade said.
Over the weekend, the US Air Force reported that planes and helicopters stationed aboard the USS Abraham Lincoln…
