ISLAMABAD: Satellite imagery has confirmed the location of US aircraft carrier USS Abraham Lincoln near Iran, as Washington intensifies pressure over Tehran’s military program, British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) reported Tuesday.
According to BBC Verify, publicly available European Sentinel-2 satellite images show the nuclear-powered Nimitz-class carrier in the Arabian Sea, around 150 miles (240km) off the coast of Oman — roughly 700km from Iran. The vessel leads a strike group that includes three Arleigh Burke-class guided missile destroyers and carries around 90 aircraft, including F-35 fighter jets, with a total crew of about 5,680.
The carrier was reportedly deployed to the Gulf region in late January but had not appeared in satellite imagery until now due to limited coverage over open waters.
BBC Verify said it has tracked 12 US ships in the Middle East in recent weeks, including destroyers positioned in Bahrain, the eastern Mediterranean near the Souda Bay base, and the Red Sea. It also observed increased deployments of F-15 and EA-18 fighter jets to Muwaffaq Salti Air Base in Jordan, along with a rise in US cargo, refuelling, and communications aircraft heading to the region.
According to the report, US and Iranian officials are set to meet in Switzerland on Tuesday for a second round of talks. Iran says discussions will focus on its nuclear program and the possible lifting of US economic sanctions, while Washington has indicated it wants broader issues addressed.
In response to the US build-up, Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps launched maritime drills in the Strait of Hormuz, a critical global oil transit route through which roughly a fifth of the world’s oil and gas supplies pass.
Military intelligence analyst Justin Crump told BBC Verify the current US deployment shows “more depth and sustainability” than previous operations, including last year’s actions against Venezuela and strikes on Iran’s nuclear facilities under Operation Midnight Hammer. He said the present posture appears designed not only for strike capability but broader deterrence, with the ability to scale operations up or down.
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