ISTANBUL

The US Navy will keep the USS Nimitz aircraft carrier in service until March 2027, nearly a year longer than initially planned, CNN reported Saturday.

A Navy official told the news outlet that the carrier, one of the largest warships in the world, “has since been extended to March 2027. Accordingly, the US Navy plans to inactivate the ship in 2027.”

The report said the vessel had previously been scheduled for decommissioning in May 2026.

The extension comes as Iran has effectively closed the Strait of Hormuz since early March amid escalating hostilities with the US and Israel. Disruptions to shipping through the strait have pushed up global oil and fertilizer prices, raising concerns about energy supplies.

US President Donald Trump said Saturday that countries receiving oil through the strategic waterway should take responsibility for securing the key maritime passage, and that the US would assist. Earlier, he said US Navy escorts for oil tankers transiting the strait could begin “soon.”

During its most recent deployment, which ended in December, the USS Nimitz completed four transits of the strait as part of the Fifth Fleet’s operations.

The ship, the oldest active US aircraft carrier, departed Naval Base Kitsap in Bremerton, Washington, last week en route to Naval Station Norfolk, Virginia, for what had been expected to be its final journey. Future deployment plans for the carrier have not been disclosed, said the report.