Claiming that it’s a move to cover the withdrawal of US troops from Iraq and Afghanistan, outgoing president Donald Trump has deployed the US Navy nuclear aircraft carrier and a fleet of support ships to the Persian Gulf, the Daily Mail reports.
The move was apparently decided before the assassination of Iranian nuclear physics professor Mohsen Fakhrizadeh-Mahabadi, who was believed to be leading the Iranian effort to increase uranium stockpiles and develop weapons.
Earlier this month, the Trump administration had vowed to reduce troops in Afghanistan by half, to around 2,200, and in Iraq to fewer than 3,000. Additionally, the Trump administration has order the complete withdrawal of about 900 soldiers in Somalia, who are conducting training and counterterrorism operations.
Pundits have surmised that Trump is taking a series of controversial steps to leave the incoming Biden administration with a number of international dilemmas to deal with.