U.S. pulls last aircraft carrier from East Asia as Trump's Iran focus streches forces thin

The United States is withdrawing its last aircraft carrier from the western Pacific, as President Donald Trump's focus on Iran stretches the Navy's resources. The USS George Washington is heading to the Middle East to replace the USS Abraham Lincoln, which has spent over 260 days at sea supporting US operations against Iran. This move will temporarily leave the western Pacific without an American aircraft carrier.

The redeployment comes amid concerns over the strain of prolonged deployments on the Lincoln's crew, with its return repeatedly pushed back. According to the Times of India and Associated Press, the Lincoln is expected to return after a 266-day deployment. An analyst cited by Haaretz and Associated Press says the US is "doing the exact opposite" of its goal of reducing its Middle East presence.

Iranian authorities have called for the release of three pilots who were captured by Qatari forces in March, according to reports from South China Morning Post and Business Recorder. The pilots, identified as Javad Salehi, Abdolmajid Dashtian, and Omran Behraveshian, have been held for six months without being allowed to meet or contact their families.

The Al Udeid Air Base in Qatar, which includes US Central Command components, was attacked in early March, with Iran retrieving the body of one pilot, Majid Kazemi, last month.

Brief written by urgent.news from Haaretz, South China Morning Post, Times of India, Business Recorder, Associated Press — 5 reports on this story. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.