Video | US aircraft carrier USS Carl Vinson preps for operations against Houthis in Mideast

The US has deployed USS Carl Vinson, another aircraft carrier, in the Mideast waters, just days ahead of the second round of talks between Iran and the United States. USS Carl Vinson, the US Navy's third Nimitz-class supercarrier armed with F-35C stealth warplanes, will join USS Harry S. Truman in the region.

 

This was confirmed by the US Central Command which posted an image of US Navy Sailors aboard the aircraft carrier USS Carl Vinson (CVN 70) preparing an ordnance for operations against Iran-backed Houthis. It also featured side-by-side video clips of aircraft taking off from the two ships. 

 

The Pentagon's decision to deploy the carrier comes as the US prepares for round two of talks with Iran, probably in the Omani capital of Muscat. 

 

The Pentagon had earlier announced that it was increasing the number of American carriers in the Middle East to two after it launched air strikes against Iran-backed Houthis in several locations in Yemen. Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth had stressed that the aircraft carrier's arrival marks a continuation of US efforts to promote regional stability, deter aggression, and ensure the free flow of global commerce.

 

The US is reportedly targeting a Yemen-based group, also known as Ansar Allah, in its bid to stop attacks on vessels and ships traversing through the Red Sea and Gulf of Eden. The same group had earlier targeted Israel, launching missiles at it, which were intercepted by Israeli forces. The US has so far struck more than 100 targets, including command-and-control facilities and weapons manufacturing and storage sites, in Houthi-controlled areas of Yemen since the assault began on March 15.   

 

The Houthis have also downed several American MQ-9 Reaper drones. Two days back, the militant group said it shot down another U.S. MQ-9 Reaper drone, the third since March 3 and the second shot down since the U.S. began conducting daily strikes. 

Middle East