US pulls warship from Mideast amid Iran tensions

WASHINGTON

The US announced Thursday is recalling the USS Nimitz aircraft carrier from the Middle East after a nearly 10-month deployment amid tensions with Iran.

The Nimitz will return to its home port in Norfolk, Virginia, according to the Pentagon.

“The Nimitz team provided persistent air cover during the troop drawdowns in Afghanistan and conducted operations and exercises that strengthened enduring partnerships and alliances in the U.S. Central Command and U.S. Indo-Pacific Command areas of responsibility," spokesman Jonathan Rath Hoffman said in a statement.

"They conducted themselves admirably throughout the deployment despite the many challenges presented by the coronavirus pandemic," he added.

The move comes one day after the US flew two B-52 bombers over the Middle East in a warning sign likely intended for Iran.

In announcing the "clear deterrent message," US Central Command did not specify to whom the display of force was intended, saying only it applies "to anyone who intends to do harm to Americans or American interests."

The deployment of the bombers from the US is the third such action in the past 45 days, according to the Pentagon. It comes amid heightened tensions between the US and Iran that have been at a fever pitch since US President Donald Trump opted to unilaterally withdraw Washington from a landmark nuclear accord with Tehran in 2018.

The countries found themselves on the verge of a conflict that would have likely enveloped the region earlier this year when Trump chose to assassinate a key Iranian general in Iraq in January.