The USS Gerald R. Ford has been ordered to the Middle East, joining the USS Abraham Lincoln already in the region, a U.S. official confirmed on February 12, 2026, amid rising tensions with Iran. This move, which will place two aircraft carriers and their accompanying warships in the area, comes as President Donald Trump weighs potential military action against Iran.
The USS Ford, which began its deployment in June 2025, was previously stationed in the Mediterranean Sea before being moved to the Caribbean last fall. The USS Abraham Lincoln and three guided-missile destroyers arrived in the Middle East more than two weeks prior. According to Fox News, the decision to deploy the Ford to the region was made as the administration established a significant military presence.
In other news, former Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Barak expressed regret over his relationship with disgraced financier Jeffrey Epstein. In an interview with Israel's Channel 12 on Thursday, Barak stated he regretted maintaining a relationship with Epstein after his 2008 conviction for procuring a child for prostitution. This was his first comment on the matter since Epstein's death by suicide in prison in 2019, according to Al Jazeera.
Meanwhile, the United States Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent claimed that Washington engineered a dollar shortage in Iran to destabilize the rial and trigger protests. Al Jazeera reported that this led to some of the largest antigovernment protests in Iran since the 1979 Islamic revolution.
In Venezuela, protesters have taken to the streets, demonstrating greater freedom of expression following recent political shifts. Student demonstrators gathered on the campus of the Central University of Venezuela in Caracas on Thursday to demand the release of all political prisoners, according to The Guardian.
Finally, North Korean leader Kim Jong Un has reportedly selected his daughter, Kim Ju Ae, as his heir. South Korea's spy agency told lawmakers on Thursday that they made this assessment after taking into account a "range of circumstances" including her increasingly prominent public presence at official events. Kim Ju Ae, believed to be 13 years old, has been pictured with her father at high-profile events, including a visit to Beijing in September, her first known trip abroad, according to BBC World. The National Intelligence Service (NIS) also stated it would keep close tabs on whether she will attend the North's party.
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