US Military Abruptly Changes Plans, Sends Valuable Asset to Middle East as Fighting Escalates

As Israel and Iran exchange attacks, the United States is moving military assets into the Middle East in case it should take an active role in the combat.

On Monday, the aircraft carrier USS Nimitz left the South China Sea, canceling a planned port call in the Vietnamese city of Danang, according to Reuters.

The Nimitz Carrier Strike Group entered the South China Sea last week, as “part of the U.S. Navy’s routine presence in the Indo-Pacific,” according to the website of the Commander of the U.S. Pacific Fleet.

The Nimitz is heading to the Middle East ahead of schedule, according to Fox News.

Several people are lightly injured in missile impacts in central Israel, Magen David Adom says.

MDA says it continues to scan the scenes for additional injuries.

The Fire and Rescue Service says it is responding to reports of blazes sparked by the impacts in central Israel.… pic.twitter.com/E68BHGUQvS

— Emanuel (Mannie) Fabian (@manniefabian) June 16, 2025

The Nimitz Strike Group had been scheduled to replace the USS Carl Vinson carrier strike group, which has been deployed in the Middle East.

In a post on social media platform X, Jennifer Griffin of Fox News said the deployment of the Nimitz carried vast symbolism.

“The USS Nimitz is the oldest active aircraft carrier in the U.S. Navy, commissioned on May 3, 1975. Scheduled to be decommissioned in 2026, this is possibly its final sea voyage,” she posted.

CONFIRMED: The USS Nimitz aircraft carrier strike group is on its way to the Middle East from the South China Sea, a U.S. official tells Fox News. The Nimitz was previously scheduled to replace the USS Carl Vinson carrier strike group which has been deployed for several months,…

— Jennifer Griffin (@JenGriffinFNC) June 16, 2025

“This is a very significant symbolic deployment because it was deployed in 1980 and its helicopters that were part of the failed US effort known as Operation Eagle Claw to rescue the American hostages being held at the US Embassy in Tehran. The US has been in a shadow war against Iran ever since,” she posted.

As the Navy increases its strength, the Air Force is increasing flexibility and options by moving what a U.S. official called “a large number” of refueling tankers to Europe.

President Donald Trump, who has so far kept U.S. forces on the sidelines of the conflict, said Iran wants to talk, Fox reported.

“They’d like to talk, but they should have done that before,” Trump said. “But I’d say Iran is not winning this war. And they should talk and they should talk immediately before it’s too late.”

As noted by The New York Times, Israeli aircraft were using the dominance they had achieved over Tehran to attack targets that included Iran’s state television.

The Israeli Air Force has bombed the offices of Iran’s state broadcaster IRIB in Tehran a short while ago. Footage shows the moment of the attack. pic.twitter.com/PJUqx2njMg

— Emanuel (Mannie) Fabian (@manniefabian) June 16, 2025

Israeli jets also attacked the headquarters of the Quds Force, and Israel warned residents of one part of Tehran to evacuate before one round of attacks.

As Israeli jets attacked Tehran, Iran responded with long-range ballistic missiles. At least eight Israeli civilians were killed in Monday’s attacks.

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