As the Carrier Abraham Lincoln left the gulf Tuesday, it’s battle group contingent was on high alert. According to the AP:
The passage ended a Gulf mission that displayed Western naval power amid heightened tensions with Tehran, which has threatened to choke off vital oil shipping lanes.The Lincoln was the centerpiece of a flotilla that entered the Gulf last month along with British and French warships in a display of Western unity against Iranian threats. There was no immediate comment by Iran about the Lincoln’s departure. Iran’s Revolutionary Guard has said it plans its own naval exercises near the strait, the route for a fifth of the world’s oil supply. But Iran’s military has made no attempts to disrupt oil tanker traffic — which the U.S. and allies have said would bring a swift response.”
Along with the warships several US choppers provided support as an Iranian patrol plane accompanied by an unmanned drone flew overhead. Patrol boats were also spotted although they kept their distance, possibly due to rough conditions during the battle group’s crossing. According to ZeroHedge, it is unclear if the drones shadowing CVN-72 were the same that Iran with China’s help, reverse engineered after the US drone fell in the middle of Tehran and did not self-destruct.