USS Enterprise nuclear-powered aircraft carrier The US Navy has cut short home leave for crew of aircraft carrier USS Stennis by four months to send the warship back to the Middle East and Persian Gulf next week. US Defense Secretary Leon Panetta notified the USS Stennis crew in Seattle on Wednesday that they are needed in the Middle East region, following the requests forwarded by the US Central Command. The... 

The Bahrain-based US Fifth Fleet says it will not “tolerate” any disruption in the Strait of Hormuz after Iran announced its forces are capable of closing the route if necessary. “[The fleet] maintains a robust presence in the region to deter or counter destabilizing activities,” a spokesperson for the fleet said on Wednesday. “The free flow of goods and services through the...