According to a report by the Times of Israel on Friday 20 February, 2026, widely described as the largest aircraft carrier in the world – has moved into the Mediterranean Sea, according to maritime tracking data that monitors naval traffic in real time. The deployment comes at a moment when tensions with Iran are once again simmering, and Washington appears to be weighing its next steps carefully.
Last week, US President Donald Trump ordered the carrier strike group toward the broader Middle East region. The move signaled that the administration wants options on the table – including, potentially, military ones – as it considers how to respond to developments involving Tehran. Officials have not publicly detailed what scenarios are being examined, but the redeployment itself sends a message.
Meanwhile, ship-tracking sites show the USS Mahan, an Arleigh Burke-class destroyer assigned to the same strike group, passing through the Strait of Gibraltar. That chokepoint marks the gateway from the Atlantic into the Mediterranean, and naval movements there are closely watched whenever regional tensions rise.
It will likely take several more days before the carrier is in position closer to the Middle East. Only then would it be poised to conduct sustained operations, should orders come down.
A photograph released earlier by the US Department of Defense and distributed via AFP showed an F/A-18F Super Hornet launching from the carrier’s deck during a previous deployment in the eastern Mediterranean…..See More
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