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This photograph released by the U.S. Navy shows a MH-60S Sea Hawk helicopter hovering over the USS Carl Vinson aircraft carrier while operating in the Middle East on April 12, 2025
[Petty Officer 3rd Class Nathan Jordan/U.S. Navy via AP]
A SECOND US aircraft carrier is operating in Middle Eastern waters in the run-up to the next round of talks between Iran and the United States over Tehran’s nuclear programme, the Associated Press news agency reported today following an analysis of satellite images.
The USS Carl Vinson and its strike group have joined the USS Harry S Truman in the Arabian Sea, where the latter has been conducting air strikes against parts of Yemen controlled by the Houthi government for the past month.
Washington officials have insisted that the US campaign against the Houthis is a means to put pressure on their ally Iran in the negotiations.
Tehran retaliates with attacks on Israel, the Gulf Arab states and crude oil flows
While Trump praises the ‘successful’ attack on Iranian nuclear sites, the question arises as to the real motives behind this escalation. MARC VANDEPITTE explores the issues