US will send the largest aircraft carrier in the world, used in Venezuela, to the Middle East, says newspaper

The aircraft carrier USS Gerald R. Ford waits in the Caribbean, off the coast of Venezuela GETTY IMAGES The United States will send the largest aircraft carrier in the world to the Middle East, according to The New York Times newspaper this Thursday (12). The action comes amid the intensification of President Trump’s pressure campaign on Iran’s leadership. ✅ Follow the g1 international news channel on WhatsApp The USS Gerald R. Ford was sent to Venezuela in November as a way of putting pressure on Nicolás Maduro’s government. According to The New York Times, the ship’s crew was informed of the new destination also this Thursday (12) and the new orders determine integration into the USS Abraham Lincoln attack group in the Persian Gulf. (Learn more below). On Tuesday (10), the President of the United States, Donald Trump, had already stated that he was considering sending another aircraft carrier to the Middle East to pressure Iran into closing a nuclear deal. Currently, the USS Abraham Lincoln strike group is already in the region. The USS Gerald R. Ford GIF – USS Gerald R. Ford: the largest warship in the world TV Globo/Reproduction The USS Gerald R. Ford is the largest, most lethal and adaptable aircraft carrier in the world, in addition to being the most modern and technologically advanced in the USA, according to the American Navy. Added to the American arsenal in 2017, the aircraft carrier has the capacity to house up to 90 aircraft, including fighters and helicopters. It has a runway for landings and take-offs with an area equivalent to three times the size of the Maracanã lawn. The carrier strike group includes squadrons of F-18 fighters, military helicopters, as well as three destroyers — the USS Mahan, USS Bainbridge and USS Winston Churchill. Named after former President Gerald Ford, who governed the US between 1974 and 1977, the aircraft carrier is considered the Navy’s main asset for power projection, deterrence and sea control. “The USS Gerald Ford is one of the greatest naval firepowers that the US can project,” says Vitelio Brustolin, professor of International Relations at UFF and researcher at Harvard. Talks between countries Trump and Netanyahu meet at the White House with Iran on the agenda of the meeting The United States and Iran met on Friday (6), in Oman, to discuss Iran’s nuclear program. The US government wants Tehran to limit or suspend uranium enrichment. The fear of the US and its allies is that Iran is very close to developing a nuclear weapon. Iran denies having this objective and claims that the program is for peaceful purposes, aimed at energy production. On Tuesday, in an interview with the website Axios, Trump said he was optimistic about the negotiations and said he believed in a diplomatic solution. At the same time, he again said that he could opt for military action. “Last time, they didn’t believe I would do this,” Trump said, referring to the US strikes on Iran’s nuclear facilities in June. “Either we will reach an agreement or we will have to do something very tough like last time,” he said. In addition to the nuclear program, according to the American press, the United States is also putting pressure on Iran to limit the range of ballistic missiles and to end financing for armed groups in the Middle East. Washington also tries to interfere in the country’s internal issues. Officials from the United States and Iran have not yet scheduled a second round of negotiations. Amid the impasse, Trump met with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu this Wednesday at the White House. After the meeting, Trump stated on a social network that he prefers a deal with Iran. “I insisted that negotiations with Iran continue to see if a deal can be reached. If it can be achieved, I have informed the Prime Minister that that will be my preference. If it cannot be achieved, we will have to wait and see what the outcome will be,” he said. Aircraft carriers in the region In January, the United States sent the aircraft carrier USS Abraham Lincoln to the Middle East, also with the aim of putting pressure on Iran. At the time, Trump stated that he was sending a “large force” to the region to monitor the Iranian government “very closely”. According to the North American president, the aircraft carrier was sent as a “precaution”. Trump also said that his preference is that “nothing happens”. Last week, the US carried out military maneuvers near the coast of Iran. According to the Central Command of the Armed Forces, fighter jets took off from the Abraham Lincoln and flew over the region. The USS Abraham Lincoln has served in the Middle East on several occasions, such as during the war in Afghanistan, after the attacks of September 11, 2001. The aircraft carrier also served as support for American forces in an operation against the rebel group Houthis, in 2024. The USS Abraham Lincoln works as a “floating airport” and can launch up to four planes per minute. The vessel houses several squadrons, including F-35 Lightning II and F/A-18 Super Hornet fighters, and has the capacity to transport up to 90 aircraft, including planes and helicopters. VIDEOS: most watched on g1

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