by Jim Morris, Warrior Vice President, News
(Washington DC) As the US and Iran try to figure out where the next round of talks on the Islamic republic’s nuclear program will be held, another US aircraft carrier has been spotted in the Arabian Sea.
The USS Carl Vinson’s presence in the region comes as American forces continue to pound parts of Yemen controlled by the Houthi rebels – who are supported by Tehran. News of the carrier and its strike group operating in the Middle East was reported by the Associated Press after it analyzed satellite photos.
The Vinson and the six ships accompanying it left Guam last month to join the carrier Harry S. Truman, which has been carrying out air strikes against the Houthis in the last month.
Among the targets hit by US forces are drone facilities, missile sites and command centers. There have been reports of serious damage and dozens of deaths. Still, the Houthis have shown no sign that they are ready to abandon their own attacks, which includes missile strikes against Israel and shipping in the Red Sea.
On April 11, CNN reported that the offensive against the Houthis had cost about $1 billion in the first three weeks. That includes the cost of munitions such as Tomahawk missiles, JASSM long-range cruise missiles and JSOWs, which are GPS-guided glide bombs.
Meanwhile, the Houthis reportedly have shot down at least two MQ-9 Reaper drones.
President Trump has made it clear – hitting the Houthis are a way to pressure Iran in the negotiations. Those talks began over the weekend in Oman. There were reports that the negotiations would move to Rome this week, but Iran is insisting they will again be held in Oman.
Iran has consistently warned that it could build a nuclear weapon with its stockpile of enriched uranium. The country is said to be very close to having weapons-level grade uranium and has enough for multiple nuclear weapons.
Trump has issued his own warning – that he’ll launch airstrikes warned targeting Iran’s nuclear facilities if a deal can’t be reached. “These are radicalized people,” he said, “and they cannot have a nuclear weapon.”
On Tuesday, Iran’s supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, told senior government officials, “We shouldn’t be overly optimistic about this dialogue, nor overly pessimistic. The first steps have been taken well and executed properly…The red lines are clear – both for the other side and for us. We may or may not reach a result, but either way, it’s worth
