USS Gerald R. Ford to leave Mideast; Why is US Navy’s most advanced carrier abandoning Iran blockade and coming home? | In Pics

The USS Gerald R. Ford, the US Navy's newest aircraft carrier, is preparing to leave the Middle East in the coming days after a record-breaking 309-day deployment, the longest any modern American carrier has spent continuously at sea, according to reports. This comes as diplomacy between the United States and Iran remains deadlocked and as US President Donald Trump warned that the US naval blockade against Iran could last months, even as oil prices surge to their highest level in over four years. Why is the USS Gerald R. Ford returning home? Is it due to a major problem, or is this just a routine change of home port or station?

The USS Gerald Ford, as per a Washington Post report citing officials familiar with the plans, is expected back at its home port of Naval Station Norfolk, Virginia, around mid-May.

The USS Gerald Ford has been through a gruelling stretch. The ship has been experiencing repeated mechanical issues and accumulating wear that will require extensive repairs and maintenance once it returns to port. Earlier, it even sustained damage in a laundry room fire that injured sailors.

USS Gerald Ford has already been at sea for 309 days. The ship left port at Naval Station Norfolk on June 24 to sail for Europe. It was later directed by the Trump administration to sail across the Atlantic to the Caribbean. There, it assisted in the US blockade of Venezuela’s oil exports and also the January capture of President Nicolás Maduro.

Typically ships are deployed at sea for six or seven months to keep up their maintenance schedule. However, the USS Gerald R Ford has already been deployed for over 10 months.

At a congressional hearing on Wednesday, lawmakers pressed Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth on whether keeping the Ford at sea so long was worth the cost to the ship and crew. They noted that the USS Gerald Ford's extended absence from scheduled maintenance will also affect the readiness of other warships, since the yards that service them have limited capacity.

"I worry about the USS Ford," said Rep. Gil Cisneros. "What trade-offs are we making?" Hegseth acknowledged that a "tough decision-making process" had led to the extension, adding that the call was made "in consultation with the Navy".

The Ford leaves the region with two carriers still in place, the USS Abraham Lincoln and USS George H.W. Bush, both operating in the Arabian Sea to enforce the US blockade of Iranian ports. The Navy has now turned back 39 vessels, in some cases boarding and seizing them, to prevent oil and cargo from reaching Iran.

Trump, meeting with oil executives this week, said the blockade was more effective than bombing. Speaking to Axios, the POTUS said that it could continue for months if needed. "They are choking like a stuffed pig. And it is going to be worse for them," he insisted.

According to AFP, Brent crude futures have soared up 7.6 per cent to $119.69 a barrel, the highest price in over four years, the highest since the early weeks of Russia's invasion of Ukraine in 2022.

The economic ripple effects are widening fast. The UN Development Programme warned Wednesday that the war could push more than 30 million people into poverty across 160 countries, driven by soaring energy and fertiliser costs. "It's development in reverse," said UNDP chief Alexander De Croo.

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