Washington, Feb 12 The Pentagon is ready to deploy the second aircraft carrier in the Middle East in two weeks amid heightened US-Iran tensions, a leading US media outlet reported.
The carrier is likely from the US East Coast, the report quoted US officials as saying, noting the aircraft carrier USS George H.W. Bush is completing a series of training exercises off the coast of Virginia, and it could potentially expedite those exercises, reports Xinhua news agency, quoting The Wall Street Journal.
However, US President Donald Trump hasn't yet given an official order for the deployment, and that plan could change, said the report.
If the order is issued, the second carrier would join the aircraft carrier USS Abraham Lincoln that is already in the region, marking the first time there are two carriers in the region since March 2025, when the USS Harry S. Truman and the USS Carl Vinson were both in the Middle East to battle Houthi rebels in Yemen.
Tehran and Washington held indirect talks on Friday in the Omani capital Muscat amid simmering tensions between the two sides following Washington's military buildup near Iran. The negotiations were their first since the United States bombed key Iranian nuclear sites in June last year.
Trump said on Tuesday that he was considering sending a second aircraft carrier strike group to the Middle East for possible military actions against Iran if negotiations failed.
Meanwhile, Trump met with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu at the White House, as both leaders focused on negotiations with Iran and the situation in Gaza. The US President said that he had a “very good meeting” with the Israeli PM.
“I have just finished meeting with Prime Minister Netanyahu, of Israel, and various of his Representatives. It was a very good meeting, the tremendous relationship between our two countries continues,” Trump said on Wednesday (local time)
The Oval Office meeting marked Netanyahu’s fifth visit to the White House since Trump began his second term.
Trump said no final decisions had been taken, but stressed that diplomacy with Tehran should continue.
“There was nothing definitive reached other than I insisted that negotiations with Iran continue to see whether or not a Deal can be consummated. If it can, I let the Prime Minister know that it will be a preference. If it cannot, we will just have to see what the outcome will be.”
Referring to past tensions, Trump added, “Last time, Iran decided that they were better off not making a Deal, and they were hit with Midnight Hammer -- That did not work well for them. Hopefully, this time they will be more reasonable and responsible.”
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