TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - Satellite imagery shows that all United States Navy warships have departed from their main base in Bahrain as Washington braces for possible Iranian attacks, Newsweek reported on Wednesday, June 18, 2025, citing Anadolu.
Open-source analysts, including Ian Ellis on X, reviewed the images and identified at least one coastal combat ship, four minesweepers, and the special operations support vessel M/V Ocean Trader now operating within the U.S. Central Command's (CENTCOM) jurisdiction.
Analysts told Newsweek that this movement signals a strategic redeployment across key locations such as the Persian Gulf, the Strait of Hormuz, and the Gulf of Oman, which are considered vital to CENTCOM’s operations.
On Monday, the USS Nimitz aircraft carrier was redirected from the South China Sea to the Middle East, bringing the number of U.S. aircraft carriers in the region to two amid escalating conflict between Israel and Iran.
According to Antara, the USS Nimitz has turned off its transponder and stopped broadcasting its location, based on data from the Marine Vessel Traffic system. The latest coordinates place the carrier between Malaysia and Indonesia, heading northwest at 19 knots. Its last signal was recorded on June 17 at 02:03 GMT.
While the ship’s official destination was not listed, its current course suggests that the carrier strike group is en route to the Persian Gulf.
A Pentagon official confirmed that the U.S. Navy continues operations in the Eastern Mediterranean to uphold national security objectives.
On the same day, U.S. President Donald Trump claimed that American forces had achieved “full and total control” over Iran’s airspace, despite the country’s advanced air defense capabilities.
Fox News reported on Tuesday that the U.S. is also sending additional fighter jets to the region and extending the deployments of current air units. A U.S. official said the reinforcements include F-16, F-22, and F-35 jets for defensive purposes.
In a related development, dozens of U.S. Air Force refueling planes were sent to Europe over the weekend to support potential operations in the Middle East, two defense officials told Politico.
"Consistent with the duty to protect US forces in the Middle East, Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth directed the Nimitz Carrier Strike Group to the US Central Command (CENTCOM) area of responsibility to sustain our defensive posture and safeguard American personnel," a defense official told Newsweek.
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