USS Delbert D. Black
The US Navy has expanded its military presence in the Middle East by deploying another warship, as confirmed by a US official to Reuters on Thursday. This move comes during a significant military buildup in the region amid rising tensions.An official, speaking on condition of anonymity, said the USS Delbert D. Black had entered the region within the past 48 hours. This raises the number of destroyers in the Middle East to six, in addition to an aircraft carrier and three other littoral combat ships.This information came a day after US president Doanld Trump announced that a “massive Armada” was heading to Iran. “It is moving quickly, with great power, enthusiasm, and purpose. It is a larger fleet, headed by the great Aircraft Carrier Abraham Lincoln, than that sent to Venezuela. Like with Venezuela, it is, ready, willing, and able to rapidly fulfill its mission, with speed and violence, if necessary,” he had said.Further calling on Iran to strike a deal, “Hopefully Iran will quickly “Come to the Table” and negotiate a fair and equitable deal – NO NUCLEAR WEAPONS – one that is good for all parties. Time is running out, it is truly of the essence! As I told Iran once before, MAKE A DEAL! They didn’t, and there was “Operation Midnight Hammer,” a major destruction of Iran. The next attack will be far worse! Don’t make that happen again. Thank you for your attention to this matter!”Trump has not yet approved military action or selected from the options presented by the Pentagon, according to officials. They said he is still open to a diplomatic solution, and acknowledged that publicly signaling the possibility of military force is partly aimed at pushing Iran toward negotiations. In recent days, Trump has also been considering whether pursuing regime change in Iran is a realistic option, as reported by NYT.However, officials said they are doubtful that Tehran would agree to the conditions set out by the US. These include a permanent halt to all uranium enrichment and giving up its existing nuclear stockpiles — starting with more than 960 pounds of uranium enriched to near weapons-grade levels. Much of that material is believed to be buried under debris from strikes carried out in June.The US demands go beyond the nuclear issue. They also include restrictions on the range and number of Iran’s ballistic missiles, as well as a complete end to its support for proxy groups across the Middle East, including Hamas, Hezbollah, and the Houthis in Yemen.
