US navy denies carrier group’s move into Gulf was triggered by threats after killing of scientist
- Tensions in the region are high after the assassination of Mohsen Fakhrizadeh, an act which Iran has blamed on close US ally Israel
- The Pentagon said the carrier group would be providing combat support and air cover as the military withdraws troops from Iraq and Afghanistan
A US aircraft carrier group has moved back into the Gulf region, but a navy spokeswoman said on Saturday its return was not triggered by any “threats” after the killing in Iran of a top nuclear scientist.
Tensions in the region are extraordinarily high after the assassination on Friday of Mohsen Fakhrizadeh, an act still unclaimed but which Iran has blamed on close US ally Israel.
But naval commander Rebecca Rebarich, a spokeswoman for the US 5th Fleet, said the return on November 25 of the carrier group led by the nuclear-powered USS Nimitz was unconnected to any “specific threats.”
“There were no specific threats that triggered the return of the Nimitz Carrier Strike Group,” she said in a statement.
“The return of Nimitz is centred on maintaining CENTCOM’s ability to remain postured and prepared to help preserve regional stability and security,” Rebarich said, referring to the US Central Command.
The Pentagon said earlier that the carrier group would be providing combat support and air cover as the military withdraws thousands of troops from Iraq and Afghanistan by mid-January, under orders from President Donald Trump.