WASHINGTON • The Pentagon has abruptly called the aircraft carrier Nimitz home from the Middle East and Africa, over the objections of top military advisers, marking a reversal of a weeks-long muscle-flexing strategy aimed at deterring Iran from attacking US troops and diplomats in the Persian Gulf.
Officials on Friday said Acting Defence Secretary Christopher Miller had ordered the redeployment of the ship as a "de-escalatory" signal to Teheran to avoid stumbling into a crisis in President Donald Trump's waning days in office. US intelligence reports indicate that Iran and its proxies may be preparing a strike as early as this weekend to avenge the death by the US of Major-General Qasem Soleimani, commander of Iran's elite Quds Force of the Revolutionary Guard.
Senior Pentagon officials said Mr Miller assessed that dispatching the Nimitz now, before today's anniversary of Maj-Gen Soleimani's death in a US drone strike in Iraq, could remove what Iranian hard-liners see as a provocation that justifies their threats against US military targets.
Some analysts said the return of the Nimitz to its home port of Bremerton, Washington, was a welcome reduction in tensions between the two countries.
"If the Nimitz is departing, that could be because the Pentagon believes the threat could subside somewhat," said Mr Michael Mulroy, the Pentagon's former top Middle East policy official.
Critics said the mixed messaging was another example of the inexperience and confusing decision-making at the Pentagon since Mr Trump fired then defence chief Mark Esper and several of his top aides in November, and replaced them with Mr Miller, a former White House counter-terrorism aide, and several Trump loyalists.
"This decision sends at best a mixed signal to Iran, and reduces our range of options at precisely the wrong time," said Mr Matthew Spence, a former top Pentagon Middle East policy official. "It calls into serious question what the administration's strategy is here."
Mr Miller's order overruled a request from General Kenneth McKenzie Jr., commander of American forces in the Middle East, to extend the deployment of the Nimitz and keep its formidable wing of attack aircraft at the ready.
In recent weeks, Mr Trump has repeatedly threatened Iran on Twitter, and in November top national security aides talked the President out of a preemptive strike against an Iranian nuclear site. It is unclear whether Mr Trump was aware of Mr Miller's order to send the Nimitz home.
As recently as last Wednesday, Mr McKenzie warned Iran and its Shi'ite militia proxies in Iraq against any attacks around the anniversary of Maj-Gen Soleimani's death on Jan 3 last year.
The US Navy had sought to limit more extensions to the carrier's already lengthy deployment, but commanders believed the warship would stay at least another several days to help counter what military intelligence analysts considered a growing and imminent threat.
United States intelligence analysts in recent days said they have detected Iranian air defences, maritime forces and other security units on higher alert. They have also determined that Iran has moved more short-range missiles and drones into Iraq.
But senior Defence Department officials acknowledge they cannot tell if Iran or its Shi'ite proxies in Iraq are readying to strike US troops or are preparing defensive measures in case Mr Trump orders a preemptive attack against them.
"What you have here is a classic security dilemma, where manoeuvres on both sides can be misread and increase risks of miscalculation," said Mr Brett McGurk, Mr Trump's former special envoy to the coalition to defeat the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria group.
Pentagon officials said they had sent additional land-based fighter and attack jets, as well as refuelling planes, to Saudi Arabia and other Gulf countries to offset the loss of the Nimitz's firepower.
On Friday, the top commander of Iran's paramilitary Revolutionary Guard said his country was fully prepared to respond to any US military pressure amid heightened tensions between Teheran and Washington in the waning days of Mr Trump's presidency.
"Any action by the enemy against us will be answered with reciprocal blows, decisively and firmly," Maj-Gen Hossein Salami said at a ceremony commemorating the anniversary of Maj-Gen Soleimani's death.
"It's been shown many times that we've never eschewed any of the enemy's threats or aggressions and we won't ignore them."
Iran's Foreign Minister Javad Zarif said on Thursday that the Trump administration was creating a pretext for war.
"Instead of fighting Covid in US, @realDonaldTrump & cohorts waste billions to fly B52s & send armadas to OUR region," Dr Zarif said in a tweet. "Intelligence from Iraq indicate plot to FABRICATE pretext for war. Iran doesn't seek war but will OPENLY & DIRECTLY defend its people, security & vital interests."
NYTIMES, BLOOMBERG
