U.S. aircraft carrier moves into position for Afghanistan

The aircraft carrier USS Abraham Lincoln has moved from the Persian Gulf into the Gulf of Oman so its warplanes can fly missions over Afghanistan, where attacks have been rising, the U.S. military said Tuesday.

The carrier was ordered to move so it could conduct potential airstrikes over Afghanistan by flying over Pakistani airspace. If it had remained inside the Persian Gulf, that would not have been possible since U.S. planes do not fly through Iranian air corridors.

The carrier, which arrived Monday, is equipped with F/A-18s and an array of precision weapons.

"This puts it in a position where it has ability to strike far inland," a U.S. defense official said.

That´s great for the war on Afganistan, but it looks like a challenge to Iran as well, and shows how close we are to war with them. Maybe Bush is hoping Iran will feel threatened by a warship right off of their shores and attack? I thought a country needed permission though, but then again, we are the US. I´m a little concerned, tell me what you think.