Donald Trump deploys second nuclear-power aircraft carrier to the Middle East

 The US Navy has deployed a second aircraft carrier group to the Middle East, diverting the USS Nimitz away from the South China Sea.

USS Nimitz, and its nine air squadrons, will join the USS Carl Vinson strike group in the Arabian Sea, after being deployed in the Indo-Pacific region following naval build-up and escalations by China.

The move follows the authorisation to transport dozens of refuelling aircraft to Europe in what has been described as "a clear signal of strategic readiness," by intelligence expert, Eric Schouten.

 

More than 200 people in Iran have been killed in an extended bombing campaign carried out by Israel while more than 20 Israelis have been killed in retaliatory strikes.

United States President Donald Trump is believed to have refused to sign a draft statement at the G7 Summit, hosted by Canada, thius week calling for a military de-escalation by the rival Middle Eastern nations.

Trump eventually left the summit early to "attend to many important matters," according to a social media post made by the 79-year-old who called on Iranians to "immediately evacuate Tehran".

The USS Nimitz, measuring close to 1,100 ft from bow to stern, was slated for a port call in Vietnam, before being rerouted.

The nuclear-powered carrier, which is set for retirement next year, is capable of carrying more than 60 fighter jets.

Officials claim the move is not in direct response to the mounting tensions in the region, as Israel and Iran enter their fifth day of fighting.

Israel launched a preemptive strike on its geopolitical rival last week after suggesting the nation was close to obtaining nuclear weapons, but US intelligence contests this point.

Intelligence reports suggest that Iran was not actively pursuing a nuclear weapon and that the country would be up to three years away from having the capability to do so, per CNN.

While Tulsi Gabbard, Trump's Director of National Intelligence, testified in March that the US intelligence community, "continues to assess Iran is not building a nuclear weapon and Supreme Leader Khameni has not authorised a nuclear weapons program that he suspended in 2003."

President Trump has reiterated his position that "Simply stated, IRAN CAN NOT HAVE A NUCLEAR WEAPON. I said it over and over again!"