Nothing says “Don’t mess with me” like a ship 1,092 feet long and 257 feet wide, displacing 97,000 tons of water, bristling with surface-to-surface torpedoes and surface-to-air missiles and guns, defended by over 85 fighter aircraft, and manned by over 5,600 personnel.

Similarly, nothing says “We aren’t a threat” like such an impressive behemoth of technology and power sailing off into the horizon.

This monolithic ship is the U.S.S. Harry S. Truman, one of the last Nimitz-class aircraft carriers of the United States.

The Truman is the only remaining carrier that patrols the Persian Gulf and Northern Arabic Sea. Propelled by dual nuclear reactors and four engines, the Truman was sent to the region in 2013. Upon arrival, it began to play a dramatically reduced role in the most crucial sea gate in the region, the Strait of Hormuz.

Situated at the southern end of the Persian Gulf, wedged tightly between Oman and Iran, the Strait of Hormuz supplies the only seaborne access between the Persian Gulf and the Arabian Sea. Considered one of the most if not the most crucial strait in the world, this narrow passage transports much of the oil from Iran, Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, Kuwait, Qatar and the United Arab Emirates to the rest of the world. Its strategic significance cannot be overstated, nor can its proximity to the belligerent nation of Iran be overlooked. Consequently, the Strait of Hormuz has seen a constant U.S. presence over the years.

Iran knows the significance of the waterway, and has on numerous occasions threatened to close it down. Such a closure would spark panic worldwide among nations that rely on Middle Eastern oil to fuel their economies, militaries and industries.

To alleviate concern over such a devastating move by Iran, the U.S. maintains the Fifth Fleet in the region, which is based out of Bahrain. Up until recently, that force has comprised of at least two carriers patrolling the Persian Gulf, Strait of Hormuz and Arabian Sea.

As of February 2013, only one carrier patrolled the waters. Many observers blamed American defense cuts.

Now that final carrier has been ordered to spend less time focusing on the Strait of Hormuz. According to The Hill, from August to January, the Truman spent roughly 101 days in the Gulf of Oman and the Arabic Sea, and only 45 in the Persian Gulf, with 11 days transitioning between locations. The Strait of Hormuz is experiencing the most lax security in almost four years.

The motive behind America’s carriers suddenly disappearing from the gulf region has everything to do with Iran’s nuclear program. In the last six months, America’s relationship with Iran has involved efforts to restore old ties and to work out an agreement on Iran’s nuclear program.

Retired Vice Adm. Peter Daly told The Hill that it would be reasonable to suggest that the Navy—thereby America—is sending a signal by limiting the Truman’s time in the Gulf. The message is, “We are not a threat.”

As the U.S. negotiates with Iran to convince it to suspend its quest for nuclear weapons, Washington claims that the military option is still available should the talks fail. But Iranian President Hassan Rouhani lashed out at that claim: “I say explicitly to those delusional people who say the military option is on the table, that they should change their glasses …. Our nation regards the language of threat as rude and offensive,” he said.

President Obama has been pushing for a deal with Iran, and he doesn’t wish to see it scuttled before more negotiations can take place. Apparently to show his intent, America has intermittently removed the most spectacular sign of its military might—the aircraft carrier—from the Gulf and Strait of Hormuz for the past six months.

The Truman is a symbol of U.S. influence, and is a means by which the U.S. could achieve a military strike. By Obama’s reasoning, there is no place for an aircraft carrier in the nuclear negotiations. So Truman spends its days floating about in the Arabian Sea. While admittedly not that far from the Strait of Hormuz, patrolling the Arabic Sea sends a specific message. Washington is telling Iran that it sees its own carrier as a hindrance to peace in the Middle East. And it is a virtual admission that the carrier’s presence over the years has been an impediment to a nuclear deal with Iran.

The withdrawal of the vessel shows America’s policy of appeasement. Rather than display a show of force and protect the most vital strait in the world, the U.S. is quietly backing down to avoid offending Hassan Rouhani.

The situation plays into Bible prophecy in a twofold manner. Firstly, Iran will get what it wants, and America’s attempts at appeasement will fail. Daniel 11:40 discusses Iran’s rise in power as the head of the king of the south, a bloc of Islamic nations that will unite and “push” at other world powers until it is finally destroyed. Read more on this in our booklet The King of the South.

Secondly, take a look at the prophecies surrounding the Middle East. There is no mention of any powerful American presence. Even the destruction of the king of the south will come at the hands of another power. Europe is prophesied to be the one to finally put a stop to Iran’s belligerence, not America!

Between the decline of America and the return of Christ, there are many terrible prophecies to be fulfilled in the Middle East. No good comes as a result of America’s decline in the region.

The hope we can take away from it is that God promises to intervene directly in the affairs of mankind directly after the fulfillment of Daniel 11:40 and other earth-shattering prophecies to come about in our day. In that day, instruments of war such as the Truman will be removed as Christ establishes His rule and authority over this Earth and eradicates forever the weapons of mankind’s design.