A new U.S. aircraft carrier strike group has arrived in the Middle East, the military announced Thursday, after conditions aboard a long-deployed carrier provoked fresh criticism of President Donald Trump's war against Iran. "The George Washington Carrier Strike Group is operating in Middle East during a scheduled deployment after arriving in the CENTCOM theater yesterday," Central Command (CENTCOM), which oversees U.

S. forces in the Middle East, said in a post on the social media platform X. The update comes just days after media reports on grim conditions aboard the USS Abraham Lincoln carrier had created an unwelcome distraction for Trump in his attempt to sell the already unpopular war.

The Lincoln's deployment has included a record-setting uninterrupted time at sea of more than 240 days. Several outlets, including specialist military publications, quoted relatives of crew members as saying that living conditions had deteriorated on the carrier, with food shortages and broken plumbing.

Notably, there have been reports of several suicide attempts. Trump dismissed the concerns but confirmed another carrier would swap out with the Lincoln. Several Democratic lawmakers are pressing for accountability from the Pentagon over conditions aboard the carrier, which Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth on Thursday said were “completely misrepresented.

" While renewed hostilities between the U.S. and Iran have calmed in recent weeks, the U.S. Navy has reimposed a blockade on Iranian ports in the crucial Strait of Hormuz, and the Trump administration has offered no clarity on how it intends to wind down the war.

Hegseth told reporters that the U.S. can maintain the blockade "indefinitely." The Japan-based USS George Washington had been operating in the Pacific. Its transfer means there is no longer any U.S. aircraft carrier in that region – a boon for an assertive China.

The Lincoln had departed California in November 2025 for duty in the South China Sea and was rerouted to the Middle East before U.S.-Israeli attacks on Iran that began in late February.

USS George Washington replaces Lincoln amid crew stress concerns The USS George Washington has taken over in the Middle East as the USS Abraham Lincoln heads home after a record deployment. The handover keeps pressure on Iran-linked operations but briefly leaves Asia without a US carrier strike group.

The Asia-based USS George Washington has begun operating in the Middle East, replacing the USS Abraham Lincoln after a long deployment that drew scrutiny over reports of crew stress, poor mental health and shortages of food and hygiene products, the US military said on Thursday.

The change comes as the US keeps up operations linked to the Iran war, including a reimposed blockade on Iranian ports in the Strait of Hormuz. It also leaves Asia without an American aircraft carrier group for now, at a time when China has shown more signs of aggression.

US Central Command, which oversees American military operations in the Middle East, said on social media that the George Washington arrived in the region on Wednesday. It was not clear when the Abraham Lincoln would return to the US or whether it would make a port stop on the way, though the journey takes just over a month.

Concern has grown over the Lincoln's lengthy deployment, which included more than 250 uninterrupted days at sea, a record-setting stretch for the carrier. Reports from the ship pointed to crew stress, poor mental health and shortages of supplies, including food and hygiene products.

Several Democratic lawmakers have sought accountability from the Department of Defence over conditions aboard the Lincoln. Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth has said the reports were "completely misrepresented." Hegseth spoke with the Lincoln's crew last week, and Admiral Brad Cooper, head of US Central Command, visited over the weekend.

In an editorial published in The Wall Street Journal on Sunday, Cooper wrote that the crew had "delivered a performance for the ages, and now you are going home." In a statement issued after visiting the carrier, he praised its leaders for prioritising mental health and resilience, and said, "History will record this deployment as one of the most operationally intense and consequential of the modern era.

" Extended carrier deployments can put pressure on both sailors and equipment. Although renewed hostilities between the US and Iran have eased in recent weeks, the Navy is enforcing the reimposed blockade on Iranian ports in the Strait of Hormuz, and the Trump administration has not said how it plans to wind down the war.

Hegseth has said the US can maintain the blockade "indefinitely." President Donald Trump this week played down the reports about conditions on the Lincoln, which left its home port in San Diego in November and arrived in the Middle East in January. He described the nearly nine months at sea as a "good period of time", adding that "over the years, we've had them out there much longer.

" Trump also told reporters on Monday that he had spoken to a retired admiral over the weekend who said the Lincoln was "beautifully maintained and beautifully taken care of," though he did not name the officer. The George Washington has joined the USS George H.

W. Bush in the Middle East. That leaves Asia without a US carrier strike group for now, though the gap may be brief if the Navy sends another one in the next couple of months. The move highlights the strain of open-ended operations linked to Iran on some American sailors, analysts say, even as the Trump administration further retreats from the Asia-Pacific region and focuses on the Western Hemisphere.

Overall, the George Washington's arrival marks a handover in the Middle East as the Lincoln heads towards home after an unusually long deployment that triggered concern over crew welfare, while the US continues its Iran-related mission and temporarily leaves the Pacific without an American carrier strike group.

The US State Department has approved the possible $4.5 billion sale of KC-46A aerial refueling aircraft and related equipment to Qatar, the agency announced on Thursday. The proposed Foreign Military Sale includes up to four KC-46A aircraft, eight PW4062 turbofan engines, radar warning receivers, laser transmitter assemblies and other equipment, according to a statement.

The agency said the proposed sale would reinforce Qatar’s strategic role in regional security and “will not alter the basic military balance in the region.” The announcement came as tensions have escalated in the region after the US and Israel launched a war against Iran in late February that killed thousands.

Tehran retaliated against US bases and assets in Gulf countries. Although the two sides reached a pact to end the war, they have continued to carry out periodic retaliatory strikes.

https://sputnikglobe.com/20260820/number-of-us-troops-wounded-during-operation-against-iran-exceeds-750-1124609350.html Number of US Troops Wounded During Operation Against Iran Exceeds 750 Number of US Troops Wounded During Operation Against Iran Exceeds 750 Sputnik International The total number of US military personnel injured during the conflict with Iran has increased to 757, Sputnik found out on Thursday after analyzing recent Pentagon data.

2026-08-20T13:15+0000 2026-08-20T13:15+0000 2026-08-20T13:15+0000 us-israel war on iran us iran pentagon strait of hormuz https://cdn1.img.sputnikglobe.com/img/07ea/03/01/1123727066_0:160:3072:1888_1920x0_80_0_0_a05b022c95c3ae3f9344a5e216e6cd54.jpg.webp As of August 19, 418 soldiers were injured during Operation Epic Fury that finalized on May 5, another 339 people were wounded since July 7, when the United States launched a new series of strikes against Iran, bringing the total number to 757.

At the same time, the death toll of American servicemen remains at 18: fourteen soldiers died during Operation Epic Fury and four more since July 7, according to the Pentagon. CNN has reported, citing US officials, that the US authorities had informed their political allies that they are shifting to a strategy of gradually economically "strangling" Iran instead of pursuing their previous course of military action.

The officials said a new package of sanctions against Iran was expected to be introduced this week, while the blockade of Iranian ports would remain in place. Overnight into June 18, Iran and the US signed a memorandum to end the conflict that began on February 28.

However, on July 8, President Donald Trump announced that the ceasefire was no longer in effect, and US forces have since carried out several series of strikes on Iran. The US Central Command claimed the strikes were in response to Iranian actions against commercial vessels crossing the Strait of Hormuz.

Iranian forces responded with strikes on US bases in the Middle East. On July 12, Iran announced the closure of the Strait of Hormuz until the end of US interference in the region, following another wave of exchanges of strikes between the parties to the conflict.

The next day, Trump said the United States would become a "guardian" of the Strait of Hormuz. He also reinstated the US blockade of Iranian ports. On Thursday, US President Donald Trump called his economic operation against Iran an "isolation on an unprecedented scale" and urged allies to join the US, describing it as an Economic D-Day analogous to the allied landings in Normandy.

https://sputnikglobe.com/20260816/iran-war-proves-us-air-defenses-inefficient-against-modern-threats-1124585302.html iran strait of hormuz Sputnik International [email protected] +74956456601 MIA „Rossiya Segodnya“ 2026 Sputnik International feedback@sputniknews.

com +74956456601 MIA „Rossiya Segodnya“ News en_EN https://cdn1.img.sputnikglobe.com/img/07ea/03/01/1123727066_171:0:2902:2048_1920x0_80_0_0_0b341716df88070653bb4e36e8bca778.jpg.webp Sputnik International [email protected] +74956456601 MIA „Rossiya Segodnya“ Sputnik International feedback@sputniknews.

com +74956456601 MIA „Rossiya Segodnya“ us, iran, pentagon, strait of hormuz us, iran, pentagon, strait of hormuz Number of US Troops Wounded During Operation Against Iran Exceeds 750 WASHINGTON (Sputnik) - The total number of US military personnel injured during the conflict with Iran has increased to 757, Sputnik found out on Thursday after analyzing recent Pentagon data.

As of August 19, 418 soldiers were injured during Operation Epic Fury that finalized on May 5, another 339 people were wounded since July 7, when the United States launched a new series of strikes against Iran, bringing the total number to 757. At the same time, the death toll of American servicemen remains at 18: fourteen soldiers died during Operation Epic Fury and four more since July 7, according to the Pentagon.

CNN has reported, citing US officials, that the US authorities had informed their political allies that they are shifting to a strategy of gradually economically "strangling" Iran instead of pursuing their previous course of military action. The officials said a new package of sanctions against Iran was expected to be introduced this week, while the blockade of Iranian ports would remain in place.

Overnight into June 18, Iran and the US signed a memorandum to end the conflict that began on February 28. However, on July 8, President Donald Trump announced that the ceasefire was no longer in effect, and US forces have since carried out several series of strikes on Iran.

The US Central Command claimed the strikes were in response to Iranian actions against commercial vessels crossing the Strait of Hormuz. Iranian forces responded with strikes on US bases in the Middle East. On July 12, Iran announced the closure of the Strait of Hormuz until the end of US interference in the region, following another wave of exchanges of strikes between the parties to the conflict.

The next day, Trump said the United States would become a "guardian" of the Strait of Hormuz. He also reinstated the US blockade of Iranian ports. On Thursday, US President Donald Trump called his economic operation against Iran an "isolation on an unprecedented scale" and urged allies to join the US, describing it as an Economic D-Day analogous to the allied landings in Normandy.