As we reported a few days ago, the aircraft carrier USS Gerald R. Ford, which had been sailing toward Israel, finally arrived off its coast today in a move involving the United States Navy (US Navy) that comes amid growing tensions with Iran. The ship’s arrival at the port of Haifa marks a new stage in U.S. military projection in the region and coincides with stalled negotiations over Iran’s nuclear program.
The presence of the nuclear-powered aircraft carrier in Israel is interpreted as a sign of Washington’s strategic backing for the Israeli government. The USS Gerald R. Ford, considered the most advanced naval power projection platform currently in service with the U.S. Navy, operates alongside a group of escorts made up of destroyers and support ships, forming its Carrier Strike Group, significantly expanding air and maritime projection capabilities in the eastern Mediterranean.
In the days leading up to its arrival, various sources had reported that the aircraft carrier USS Gerald R. Ford (CVN-78) was sailing eastward through the Mediterranean Sea after crossing the Strait of Gibraltar. There were even reports of a logistical stop in Souda Bay, Greece, a facility routinely used by U.S. units transiting toward the Middle East, although the U.S. Department of Defense had not officially confirmed its final positioning off Israel.
The deployment is part of a redeployment initiated in mid-January, when Washington decided to reinforce the presence of military assets within the U.S. Central Command (USCENTCOM) Area of Responsibility. In that region, the Carrier Strike Group of the aircraft carrier USS Abraham Lincoln (CVN-72) was already operating, resulting in the simultaneous presence of two U.S. aircraft carriers in the Middle East—an unusual situation that reflects the strategic priority assigned to the regional scenario.
The arrival of the USS Gerald R. Ford in Haifa comes amid a complex diplomatic context between the United States and Iran. Talks over Iran’s nuclear program, recently held in Geneva, were suspended after several hours of exchanges without concrete progress, although both delegations left open the possibility of resuming dialogue in the short term.
According to reports, the U.S. delegation presented a package of conditions that includes the dismantling of key nuclear facilities in Fordow, Natanz, and Isfahan, the transfer of accumulated enriched uranium, and the elimination of sunset clauses in any potential agreement. In exchange, Washington would offer limited sanctions relief, conditioned on the verifiable fulfillment of the commitments assumed by Tehran.
The hardening of the U.S. position follows a line that dates back to the United States’ withdrawal from the 2015 nuclear agreement during Donald Trump’s presidency. In a recent address before Congress, the president stated that Iran continues to pursue military nuclear capabilities and warned that, if a satisfactory agreement is not reached, the military option remains on the table, while Washington increases the concentration of military assets in the region, including carrier strike groups, strategic bombers, and advanced missile defense systems.
From the Iranian perspective, Tehran maintains its sovereign right to enrich uranium for civilian purposes and has proposed alternatives such as reducing the enrichment level—currently close to 60%—or implementing multinational oversight schemes. In this context, the presence of the USS Gerald R. Ford in Israel constitutes an additional element in the strategic balance of the eastern Mediterranean, in an environment where diplomatic negotiation and military deterrence are advancing simultaneously.
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