Days ago, Iranian Navy Commander Rear Admiral Shahram Irani vowed that his forces would soon "force" a US Navy aircraft carrier from waters off Iran's coast. "It should be said that they have come [to the region] to sow division and meet their own needs... we will soon force them out of the region," he had said.
It was confirmed from at least two weeks ago that the USS Dwight D. Eisenhower was patrolling the Persona Gulf at a moment of high tensions with Tehran, given the ongoing Gaza War. Additionally, Iran-backed Houthi attacks on international shipping in the Red Sea has intensified, become almost a daily occurrence at this point.
As a result the US Navy is beefing up its response in the Red Sea, also after two more shipping tankers were struck by missiles and drones fired from Yemen's Houthis on Friday.
Iranian state media is now reporting that the USS Eisenhower has exited the Persian Gulf and vicinity of the Strait of Hormuz. Based on maritime tracking websites, the carrier has been out of the region already for at least several days and is now moving into the Mediterranean.
Commander of the Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC) Navy, Rear Admiral Alireza Tangsiri, said the carrier had exited the area following over two weeks of being closely monitored by IRGC assets:
"This flotilla was in the Persian Gulf for less than 20 days and has been under the IRGC naval forces' intelligence oversight."
Tangsiri went on the claim that the US carrier was only there for "propaganda" purposes related to supporting Israel, at a moment Israeli leaders have warned Iran against further support to its proxies such as Lebanese Hezbollah or the Yemeni Houthis.
The Iranians have been publishing videos which purport to show overhead area surveillance captured by drones...
A US Navy statement on the Eisenhower's movement has not been immediately forthcoming in response to Iran's claims. A statement from the ship's commanders earlier this month said, "Our presence in the region is about deterring malign activities and deescalating tension and uncertainty."
The large carrier could now possibly he headed to the Red Sea in support of operations against the Houthis and to help deter ongoing attacks on commercial vessels