WASHINGTON: The US aircraft carrier USS Nimitz left Southeast Asia on Monday after cancelling plans to dock in Vietnam, amid reports it is headed to the Middle East to boost the US presence as Israel and Iran battle.
At 13:45 GMT, the carrier was travelling through the Malacca Strait toward the Indian Ocean, according to Marine Traffic, a ship-tracking site.
A Vietnamese government official confirmed to AFP that a planned reception aboard the USS Nimitz on June 20, as part of the ship’s expected June 19-23 visit to Danang, had been cancelled.
The USS Nimitz’s planned port call in central Vietnam later this week was cancelled, Reuters reported citing sources, due to what the US embassy in Hanoi called an “emergent operational requirement”.
The US Embassy in Hanoi declined to comment to AFP, as did a spokesman for the Nimitz.
The movement of one of the world’s largest warships came on day four of the escalating air war between Israel and Iran, with no end in sight despite international calls for de-escalation.
Israel’s strikes have so far killed at least 224 people, including top military commanders, nuclear scientists and civilians, according to Iranian authorities.
In retaliation, Iran said it had struck Israel with a salvo of missiles and warned of “effective, targeted and more devastating operations” to come.
US Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee on Monday said that Iran’s missile barrage had lightly damaged a building used by the American embassy in Tel Aviv.
The moves come amid growing concerns the US could be dragged further into the conflict between Iran and Israel.
US President Donald Trump has warned Tehran that the “full strength” of America’s military would be used against Iran if it hit US targets.
There are also reports of a major repositioning of US refuelling aircraft after an unusually large formation was spotted travelling across the Atlantic on Sunday night.
Since Israel began attacking Iran early on Friday, Trump has issued several inconsistent messages regarding the role that Washington has and could play.
Early on Saturday, Trump said he held an hour-long phone call with Russian President Vladimir Putin where they discussed the conflict and how it should come to an end.
However, in a later interview with ABC News on Sunday, Trump said it was possible that the US “could get involved” in the hostilities, before adding that Washington was not directly involved “at this moment”.
Iran has repeatedly said that if it is directly attacked by the US it will target American bases in the region. So far, it has refrained from bombing American assets in the region.
