US aircraft carrier deployed over Iran remains outside Gulf

A US aircraft carrier the White House ordered to the Mideast over a perceived threat from Iran remains outside of the Persian Gulf amid efforts to de-escalate tensions between Tehran and Washington.

The USS Abraham Lincoln on Monday was in the Arabian Sea some 200 miles (320 kilometers) off the coast of Oman.

While US Navy officials repeatedly declined to discuss why they hadn't gone through the Strait of Hormuz into the Persian Gulf, they insisted they remain ready to launch any mission in the region.

However, Capt. Putnam Browne, the commanding officer of the Lincoln, also told The Associated Press: "You don't want to inadvertently escalate something."
The day before, the US Air Force announced a B-52 conducted a training exercise with the Lincoln that included "simulated strike operations."
Asked about why the Lincoln hadn't gone into the Persian Gulf, Rear Adm. John FG Wade, the commander of the carrier's strike group, said that his forces could "conduct my mission wherever and whenever needed."