US Considers Sending Aircraft Carrier Toward Iran

(MENAFN) The US Department of Defense is reportedly preparing a second aircraft carrier strike group for possible deployment to the Middle East, as Washington increases military pressure on Iran during ongoing nuclear negotiations, according to the Wall Street Journal.

Three US officials told the outlet that the preparations are part of contingency plans for a potential strike if diplomacy fails. No formal order has been issued by President Donald Trump, and officials emphasized that plans could change. One official said a deployment order could come “in a matter of hours,” while another said the carrier could be ready to depart within about two weeks, likely from the US East Coast. The USS George H.W. Bush, currently training off Virginia, could accelerate its exercises if ordered to deploy sooner.

If approved, the second carrier would join the USS Abraham Lincoln, already operating in the region alongside additional US warships, air defenses, and fighter squadrons. Trump confirmed on Tuesday that another carrier might be sent, stating that Washington would have to act decisively if talks with Iran fail.

Trump also met privately with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to discuss Iran, emphasizing that negotiations should continue but that the US may take action if no deal is reached.

Last week, US and Iranian officials held indirect talks in Oman—the first since last year’s Israeli and American strikes on Iranian nuclear facilities. Iran has reiterated that it will not fully abandon uranium enrichment and has refused to discuss its ballistic missile program. Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi warned that any renewed US attack could trigger retaliatory strikes on American bases across the Middle East.

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