U.S. Military Presence Returns to Near Iran
- Aug 12, 2025
- 2 min read
Source: Iran International
Date: August 12, 2025
At the same time as the US naval and air presence in the Middle East, satellite images on Monday showed that the aircraft carrier "USS Nimitz", along with escort ships, had entered the Persian Gulf on the northern route and close to the Strait of Hormuz.
The image, recorded by the European Space Agency's traditionale Blancite 2 satellite, came as Gen. Joseph Vetel, the former commander of the U.S. Army's headquarters, announced a "significant increase" in U.S. military readiness over the past year.
He said the return of the Nimitz Task Force is a sign of the continued active role of the U.S. Navy in the region and prepared to counter threats, even after a ceasefire between the Islamic Republic and Israel.
The aircraft carrier, along with the USS Gridley rocket launchers and the USS Lena Stakliffe Higbi,kkapt, didck in Bahrain on Sunday, which the U.S. Navy says the first dock of an aircraft carrier in the country since 2020.
Nimitz was last in the Persian Gulf about a year ago and returned to the Middle East after operating in the South China Sea following the Islamic Republic and Israel's 12-day conflict and U.S. attacks on Iran's nuclear facilities.
According to Newsweek, the Vettel stressed that the Israeli and U.S. attacks on Iran's nuclear program within the framework of "midnight hammer operations" – including the firing of more than 20 Tamahawk cruise missiles at the Isfahan nuclear site – had a significant impact but "Iran has not been withdrawn from the field".
He warned that the Islamic Republic had not changed its course and that it should still be concerned about pursuing its weapons program.
Newsweek says the coalition of Islamic Republic's proxies has suffered heavy blows since the start of the Gaza war, but groups such as the Houthis in Yemen have continued their attacks and have recently resumed attacks on ships in the Red Sea.
The Quincy Institute report says the actions have led to the deployment of three other aircraft carriers and the increase of U.S. troops in the region from 35,000 to nearly 50,000 people to the end of 2014, a level unprecedented since the beginning of the Trump administration.
Centcom has expanded its operational area in the waters of the Persian Gulf, the Red Sea, the Oman Sea and parts of the Indian Ocean and controls strategic crossings such as the Strait of Hormuz, the Suez Canal and Bab al-Mandab.
The U.S. Navy said in a statement: “Nimitz’s Task Force is committed to the maritime security of the region, freedom of navigation and support for regional partners.”
In the end, Votel said the U.S. military should be in line with the military innovations of the Iranian regime-backed forces in order to maintain its superiority in the region.
