U.S. Supercarrier Diverts Around Africa as Houthis Threaten Red Sea Chokepoint
Middle East & North Africa | Monday, June 1, 2026 — 09:30 AM local time
SANAA/DUBAI — The USS George H.W. Bush aircraft carrier was ordered to reroute around Africa on Monday after Houthi forces deployedsix anti-ship missiles targeting the vessel in the Red Sea — the most direct challenge to a US carrier since the group began its campaign against commercial shipping in late 2023. The Pentagon confirmed the diversion, with the carrier now sailing via the Cape of Good Hope to avoid the Bab el-Mandeb Strait, a critical chokepoint through which roughly 15% of global oil shipments pass.
The IRGC separately threatened shipping in the Strait of Hormuz on Monday, with parliamentary speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf warning that Iran would retaliate if Israeli attacks on Lebanon continued. The dual pressure on both the Red Sea and Hormuz corridors pushed Brent crude above $116 per barrel in early trading. Lloyd’s of London placed a “high risk” designation on all Red Sea transits effective immediately.
CENTCOM said its forces destroyed two Houthi drone boats and eliminatedAnti-Ship Ballistic Missile launchers in a pre-emptive strike early Monday. Since the start of Operation Epic Fury on April 8, the coalition has conducted more than 1,450 strikes on Iranian weapons-manufacturing facilities; Iran’s air defenses are assessed at approximately 90% degraded. However, US intelligence indicates Iran has restarted drone production and could restore pre-war capabilities within six months.
The George H.W. Bush’s diversion underscores how the Iran-war spillover has compressed the US naval footprint in the Persian Gulf to a single operational carrier — the USS Truman, which remains stationed in the Gulf under heavy air defense coverage. Defense officials requested anonymity to discuss force posture.
— Layla Hassan