By Yaimi Ravelo on May 16, 2026 from Havana
Trump rejects a mediation proposal put forward by Chinese President Xi Jinping to address the conflict with Iran.
The USS Gerald R. Ford, the largest and most modern U.S. aircraft carrier, returns this Saturday—following the failure of the war against Iran—to its home port in Virginia after more than 320 days at sea.
This is the longest operational deployment of this type of ship since the end of the Vietnam War, according to news agencies.
“On Saturday, we will welcome our heroes. It is an extraordinary ship, an extraordinary crew, an extraordinary strike group,” said the chief of naval operations, Admiral Daryl Caudle, to the media outlet Defense News.
The aircraft carrier began its most recent deployment on June 24, 2025, when it departed from Virginia for regularly scheduled maneuvers in the area of responsibility of U.S. European Command.
Subsequently, the ship participated in the operation against Venezuela that ended with the kidnapping of constitutional President Nicolás Maduro and his wife Cilia Flores. It was a fierce battle in which 32 Cubans gave their lives in defense of Venezuelan sovereignty.
On a new mission, its strike group operated in the Middle East in support of U.S. Central Command as part of the aggression launched by Washington and Tel Aviv against Iran on February 28.
After months of intense deployment and in the midst of the war against Iran, the ship left the Middle East and arrived in Greece to undergo “urgent repairs,” the Western press reported.
“A suspicious fire on board that occurred on March 12 in the laundry area—though it did not affect the nuclear propulsion systems—revealed a broader picture of wear and tear. It took more than 30 hours to bring the flames under control, and they caused significant damage to living quarters: about 100 beds were rendered unusable, and hundreds of sailors had to sleep on the floor or in makeshift spaces. In addition, at least two crew members were injured and dozens suffered from smoke inhalation,” reported El Clarín.
Mainstream media outlets echoed the alleged “urgent repairs” and labeled any news related to the Iranian military’s attacks on the mighty “giants of the seas” as “fake news,” claiming the images were from video games.
Coincidentally, in March, several hoaxes circulated on social media regarding Iranian attacks on U.S. aircraft carriers deployed in the area: the USS Abraham Lincoln and the USS Gerald R. Ford.
“Ships get tired too,” noted retired Rear Admiral John Kirby, explaining that operating for so long without proper maintenance accelerates the deterioration of both mechanical systems and crew performance.
In the case of the Ford, that accumulated “maintenance backlog” appears to have reached a critical point. A comment omitted by Admiral Daryl Caudle in his statement to the local press.
The U.S.-aligned media attempted to sweep the news under the rug to avoid demoralizing the great military power and exposing its failure in the war against Iran, driven by shared ambitions with “Israel” to seize control of the Middle East.
Iran’s victory over the “most powerful army in the world” changed the West’s view of contemporary geopolitics. The balance of strength and power now favors the anti-imperialist front with a resounding victory that the counter-hegemonic media dare not name.
The war against Iran failed, as did the attempt to control the Strait of Hormuz and the international market.
The USS Gerald R. Ford’s latest mission failed. But now they are being welcomed as heroes to mitigate the public disgrace of the failure of President Donald Trump’s “whim-driven policy.”
Trump Rejects Xi’s Proposal on Iran during Historic Visit to China
U.S. President Donald Trump confirmed in a recent interview with Fox News his decision to decline the mediation proposal presented by Chinese President Xi Jinping to address the conflict with Iran.
Previously, last Thursday, Trump had revealed that, during his state visit to China, Xi Jinping ruled out any military aid to Iran but expressed a willingness to offer diplomatic support to ensure free navigation in the Strait of Hormuz.
According to Trump, the Chinese leader told him he would like to see the strait reopened. “He said, ‘If I can be of any help, I’d like to help,’” the U.S. president noted at the time.
During Saturday’s interview, Trump was adamant in rejecting the offer of assistance to resolve the crisis in the Middle East. When asked to comment on his reaction to Xi Jinping’s proposal, he reiterated: “I also said we don’t need help.” For an arrogant tycoon, accepting help from a historically declared enemy would be a disgrace in the sphere of U.S. imperialist politics.
The president justified his stance with a logic of geopolitical pragmatism: “If he wants to help, great, but we don’t need help. Do you know what the problem with help is? When someone helps you, they always want something in return. That’s how aid works,” he concluded.
Now the marines from the USS Gerald R. Ford are returning home as heroes; may they rest in peace in their Virginia port and not venture to nearby shores.
Now the United States is offering aid to Cuba valued at $100 million, to reiterate the famous quote from Trump, “When someone helps you, they always want something in return. That’s how aid works,”
Some threats don’t need to be stated.
Source: Cuba en Resumen