Trump sends second aircraft carrier to Middle East, warns Iran over nuclear deal

2026-02-14 - 06:16

WASHINGTON – US President Donald Trump has announced the deployment of what he described as the world’s largest naval fleet to the Middle East in a move aimed at increasing pressure on Iran, raising fears of heightened tensions across the region. Speaking to the media before departing from a military base in North Carolina, President Trump said the United States was sending a second aircraft carrier to the Middle East. He warned that such a deployment would become necessary if Iran failed to reach a nuclear agreement with Washington. The US, he added, would take all necessary steps to safeguard its interests and protect its allies. According to international media reports, the world’s largest aircraft carrier, the USS Gerald R. Ford, is being redirected from the Caribbean Sea to the Middle East, where it will join US naval forces already stationed in the region. Previously, the USS Abraham Lincoln and accompanying guided-missile destroyers had been deployed to the area. The announcement came after President Trump’s meeting with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, a development seen as significant amid the evolving regional situation. President Trump said he hoped negotiations with Iran would succeed but cautioned that failure to reach a deal would have severe consequences for Tehran. He said that a substantial US military presence was already in place in the Middle East, including an operational carrier strike group. Meanwhile, Gulf Arab states have warned that any potential military action against Iran could ignite another major conflict in the Middle East, with far-reaching consequences not only for the region but also for the global economy. Trump warns of “severe consequences” if Iran talks fail, says US fleet moving to region