Aircraft carrier George Washington arrives in Middle East operations area

U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) announced on Thursday that the American aircraft carrier USS George Washington has arrived in the U.S. operational area in the Middle East. CENTCOM posted an image on its official X account showing U.S. sailors working on the carrier’s deck as it transited the Arabian Sea. This comes hours after the U.S. president announced the “most crushing economic operation ever” against Iran, describing it as an economic war and an unprecedented isolation campaign. In a post on his Truth Social platform, Trump said, “No one has given Iran a greater opportunity than I have to strike a deal, and unfortunately for them, and disgracefully, they failed to seize it.” Trump warned that any country allowing its financial institutions, companies, airports, or government bodies to provide “any lifeline in any form” to Iran would face “massive economic consequences.” He stressed the need to halt “oil smuggling, barter lines, cash transfers, and the use of shell companies as fronts,” adding, “All of that must stop now. You know it yourselves,” he said.