U.S. naval strike group arrives in Arabian Sea as tensions continue to rise with Iran

Carl Vinson

A new aircraft carrier strike group has been sent to the Arabian Sea - as U.S. tensions with Iran continue to escalate.

The move comes as Iran threatens to close the world's most important oil shipping lane, the Strait of Hormuz, if sanctions over its nuclear programme cut off its oil exports.    

The U.S. military said it will stop any blockade of the strategic strait, and the top U.S. naval officer said preparing for a potential conflict there was something that 'keeps me awake at night'.

New arrival: The USS Carl Vinson is now in the Arabian Sea as tensions between the U.S. and Iran continue to escalate

But the Pentagon denied any direct link between recent tensions and the movement of aircraft carriers.     

Spokesman Captain John Kirby said: 'I don't want to leave anybody with the impression that we're somehow (speeding) two carriers over there because we're concerned about what happened, you know, today in Iran. It's just not the case.'

Military officials said the USS Carl Vinson arrived in the Arabian Sea on Monday to replace the outgoing USS John C. Stennis carrier strike group, which Iran last week warned not to return to the Gulf after departing in late December.

John C Stennis

The Stennis was due to return to its home port in San Diego but the Pentagon did not say when that would happen.

Shipped out: The USS John C. Stennis left the area in December, which prompted Iran to tell it to 'never come back'

Another carrier strike group, led by the aircraft carrier USS Abraham Lincoln, concluded a port visit to Thailand on Tuesday and was now in the Indian Ocean.

Abraham Lincoln

It is on track to join the Vinson in the Central Command area of operations, which begins in the neighboring Arabian Sea.

A second U.S. military official added: 'It is not unusual to have two carriers in the CENTCOM theatre at the same time.'

'I don't want to leave anybody with the impression that we're somehow (speeding) two carriers over there because we're concerned about what happened, you know, today in Iran. It's just not the case.'- U.S. Captain John Kirby

Tensions between Iran and the United States ratcheted up again in the past week.

Iran started an underground uranium enrichment plant and sentenced an American to death for spying.

Washington and Europe have stepped up efforts to cripple Iran's oil exports, and Tehran on Wednesday blamed U.S. and Israeli agents for killing an Iranian nuclear scientist.    

Israel declined to comment on the killing and the United States denied any U.S. role and condemned the attack, in which the scientist was blown up by a bomb attached to his car by a motorbike hitman.     

Iran had warned the Stennis not to re-enter the Gulf and it is unclear when another U.S. carrier will enter Gulf waters.

The Pentagon has suggested only that, sooner or later, a carrier will pass through the Strait of Hormuz into the Gulf.    

Kirby added: 'We routinely operate our ships - all of our ships, all of our types of ships - inside the Arabian Gulf and that will continue.'