US Central Command said on Thursday that the USS George H. W. Bush has arrived in its area of responsibility in the Middle East, making it the third US aircraft carrier in the region amid growing signs that the very fragile US-Iran ceasefire may collapse.
“Nimitz-class aircraft carrier USS George H.W. Bush (CVN 77) sails in the Indian Ocean in the U.S. Central Command area of responsibility, April 23,” CENTCOM said in a post on X.
Notably, the Bush traveled to the region by sailing south of Africa, avoiding the Red Sea, signaling the US is concerned the Houthis in Yemen could close the Bab el-Mandeb Strait, which connects the Red Sea to the Gulf of Aden, though the aircraft carrier USS Gerald Ford is currently operating in the Red Sea.
The other aircraft carrier in the region, the USS Abraham Lincoln, has been operating in the Arabian Sea, from where US warships are enforcing a blockade on Iranian ports.
As CENTCOM announced the arrival of the Bush, President Trump issued a post on Truth Social where he warned Iran that the “clock is ticking” and insisted that time was on his side.
“Iran’s Navy is lying at the bottom of the Sea, their Air Force is demolished, their Anti Aircraft and Radar Weaponry is gone, their leaders are no longer with us, the Blockade is airtight and strong and, from there, it only gets worse — Time is not on their side!” the president wrote.
