The first warning sign was the aircraft carrier USS Nimitz, which, instead of docking in Vietnam as scheduled, left the South China Sea to head for the Middle East. Then came the more than 30 aerial refuelers sent to the region in recent days. Then came the dispatch of more F22s, F35s and F16s, and the departure of all US Navy ships stationed at a naval base in Bahrain on the Persian Gulf coast. Finally, a further decision was made: the aircraft carrier Gerald R. Ford will also be deployed. The United States is increasing its presence in the area in view of the possible “green light” from Donald Trump for a direct attack on Iran, probably with the aim of gutting the underground bunkers of Fordow, where the Tehran regime is carrying out its nuclear program.
Ynet, one of the Israeli media least critical of Netanyahu, also reads in this light the sighting of four B-2 bombers of the United States Army on the island of Diego Garcia, a military base in the Indian Ocean. Satellite photos of the island taken on Monday showed these four bombers, capable of carrying a load of up to 18 tons and flying without refueling for a range of up to 11,000 kilometers. These are the only aircraft of the US Air Force planned to transport the gigantic MOP bomb – short for Massive Ordnance Penetrator – of 12.3 tons, also known by the code name GBU-57, one of the few military instruments capable of destroying bunkers like the one in Fordow.
This would be the latest move in a risk game that has been going on for days. With the dispatch of Nimitz and Ford to the area, the number of aircraft carriers in the area rises to three (the other is the Carl Vinson ), increasing – and by a lot – the possible firepower or in any case the speed of defensive reaction in the event of an intensification of Iranian raids on Israel. But that hypothetically something big is cooking, at least in terms of support, has become clearer with the movement of 30 aerial refuelers in recent days. Anonymous officials told CNN that they were directed to the area – where German military and British RAF aircraft were also seen – to offer Trump and the US Central Command, led by General Erik Kurilla, nicknamed “the Gorilla”, options should the United States want to increase its involvement.
Another inkling seems to be the move to withdraw all US Navy and allied ships that were stationed at the Bahrain naval base, located on the coast of the Persian Gulf, as noted by several military analysts on social media. Real moves or smoke in the eyes, we'll see. Trump certainly seems to be listening a lot to Kurilla, the Pentagon hawk who is pushing for strong US military action. In recent days, Politico noted, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth has given the head of Central Command, responsible for US troops in the Middle East, an"unusual level of authority," even at the expense of other senior Pentagon officials.
General Kurilla is reportedly “playing a confidential role, but a decisive one for the next US steps towards Iran”. The head of Centcom has had much more access to Trump than other generals, advocating the need to move more military assets into the region. Even against the advice of the head of the Joint Chiefs of Staff himself, General Dan Caine, who, sources reveal, urged caution in the face of excessive involvement in the Middle East. The “Gorilla” game of risk seems to be gaining the upper hand.
