An important US convoy of Navy ships is arriving not far from Iran this week, bringing with them a message for some Middle East nations.
News of the arrival of the USS Abraham Lincoln Carrier Strike Group brings concerns around the world that a wider conflict with Iran may be brewing, but it also makes it clear that the US is serious about its concern over Iran's place in Middle East politics.
An additional message the US sends with the deployment is somewhat opaque: America may or may not be preparing to escalate the tensions in the area by placing a huge naval and air force not far from Tehran, the center of tensions in the region.
“You don’t reposition a full carrier strike group from the Indo-Pacific for a one-night symbolic operation,” one unnamed defense source told VIN news, as recently recounted in The Week magazine.
“This signals readiness for prolonged presence and follow-on capability if required.”
President Donald Trump on Wednesday redirected the Lincoln battle group from the South China Sea to an area of the Middle East sometimes called CENTCOM Command, which has US authority to watch over 21 nations.
Wednesday was also a day that Iran appeared to be concerned about a strike against its territory, mostly closing its airspace for several hours that night.