US Navy says Persian Gulf trip “routine” amid talk of war games

The US Navy today said that the deployment of the nuclear-powered USS Enterprise to the Persian Gulf region is a "routine" maneuver despite coming at a time of increased tensions between the US and Iran, reported Reuters. 

The historic Big E, as it is affectionately known, is set to join the Abraham Lincoln carrier strike group in the Gulf of Aden for its last mission before retiring. 

Commander Amy Derrick-Frost told Reuters that the development "is not unusual and is very routine." 

Still, it is not the kind of cushy mission you might expect for a ship after 50 years of service (not to mention a famed "Top Gun" appearance), given Iran's earlier warnings against any increased US military presence in the area, the The Telegraph noted.  

More from GlobalPost: USS Enterprise, the Top Gun aircraft carrier, embarks on its final voyage

The move also comes days ahead of planned renewed talks over Iran's controversial nuclear program, according to The New York Times.

Western countries recently hit Iran with fresh sanctions over its disputed nuclear program, which they fear is being used to make a bomb.

Iran maintains that its nuclear program is strictly for civilian purposes, but recently indicated it was open to negotiations with the West in an effort to resolve the deadlock. US President Barack Obama has called the proposed talks the country's "last chance" to stave off impending economic penalties, among them a major European oil embargo to hit in July, said NYT.

The USS Enterprise will join the USS Abraham Lincoln in efforts to fight piracy along the Somali coast, support the US military presence in the Middle East, and most controversially, join patrols of key oil routes, said The Associated Press. 

Its arrival marks only the fourth time in a decade the Navy has had two aircraft carriers working in the region simultaneously, a Navy commander told AP.