US President Donald Trump has announced that the United States will deploy a second aircraft carrier to the Middle East “very soon,” underscoring Washington’s continued military and diplomatic pressure on Iran.
Speaking at the White House on Friday, Trump confirmed that the USS Gerald R Ford would be moved from the Caribbean to the Middle East as regional tensions persist following indirect US-Iran negotiations held in Oman last week.
“If we need it, we’ll have it ready, a very big force,” Trump said, expressing optimism that negotiations with Tehran would be “successful.” At the same time, he cautioned that it would be a “bad day for Iran” if a deal was not reached, Al Jazeera reported.
“For 47 years, they’ve been talking and talking and talking. In the meantime, we’ve lost a lot of lives,” he said, in an apparent reference to Tehran’s crackdown on recent antigovernment protests that left thousands dead.
He also suggested that political change in Iran could be beneficial, stating that a change of government would be “the best thing that could happen.” His remarks appeared to reference longstanding US criticism of Tehran’s domestic policies and its handling of anti-government protests.
The Gerald R Ford’s deployment forms part of a broader US military buildup in the region. In recent weeks, the US has positioned the Abraham Lincoln carrier strike group along with guided-missile destroyers, fighter aircraft and surveillance assets to reinforce its presence.
Trump’s comments came shortly after his meeting with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in Washington. Netanyahu indicated expectations of a “good deal” with Iran but reiterated Israel’s position that any agreement must also address Iran’s ballistic missile programme — a condition Tehran has publicly rejected.
The developments follow heightened tensions after Israel’s 12-day conflict with Iran in June, during which the US briefly joined military operations by targeting three Iranian nuclear facilities in strikes codenamed “Midnight Hammer.” Trump had then stated that the sites were “totally obliterated.”
The Oman talks marked the first indirect diplomatic engagement between Washington and Tehran since that conflict, which had stalled earlier efforts to revive or replace the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA). The nuclear agreement, abandoned by Trump during his first term in 2018, had placed limits on Iran’s nuclear activities in exchange for sanctions relief.
Following the US withdrawal, Iran resumed uranium enrichment beyond the deal’s prescribed limits, while continuing to deny Western allegations that it seeks to develop nuclear weapons.
Since beginning his second term in January, Trump initially indicated interest in negotiating a new nuclear framework with Iran but later adopted a “zero-enrichment” stance, a proposal Iranian officials have consistently dismissed.
Meanwhile, International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) Director General Rafael Grossi has acknowledged difficulties in securing full inspection access in Iran. Addressing the Munich Security Conference, Grossi said inspectors had returned to Iran after the June hostilities but had not been permitted to visit sites targeted during the conflict.
He described the ongoing dialogue with Tehran as “imperfect and complicated and extremely difficult,” while noting that communication channels remain open.
The USS Gerald R Ford, one of the US Navy’s most advanced aircraft carriers, is powered by a nuclear reactor and can carry more than 75 aircraft, significantly enhancing US operational capability in the region.
According to Al Jazeera, Gulf Arab nations have voiced concern that further military escalation could risk triggering a wider regional conflict, particularly as West Asia continues to grapple with the fallout of the Gaza war.
The US administration has maintained that its actions are aimed at safeguarding regional stability and preventing nuclear proliferation.
