Trump says the U.S. will send a second aircraft carrier to the Middle East to pressure Iran into reaching an agreement

2026-02-13 22:52:12

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According to CCTV News, U.S. President Donald Trump confirmed on February 13th local time that the U.S. military will send a second aircraft carrier strike group to the Middle East to pressure Iran into reaching an agreement with the United States.

“If we can’t reach an agreement, we need it,” Trump said on Friday. “It will be departing soon.”

It is reported that the Gerald R. Ford aircraft carrier strike group currently in the Caribbean will head to the Middle East to strengthen the U.S. military presence around Iran. Last month, the U.S. Navy’s Abraham Lincoln aircraft carrier strike group entered the Middle East.

On Tuesday, Trump previously threatened that if negotiations with Iran fail, another U.S. carrier strike group would be dispatched to the Middle East in preparation for possible military action.

The Ford arrived from Norfolk, Virginia, in June last year, initially deployed to Europe.

In October last year, as U.S. forces gathered near Venezuela, Trump moved the Ford from the Mediterranean to the Caribbean. In January this year, U.S. forces launched a raid on Venezuela, capturing the country’s leader, Maduro.

The current deployment of the Ford is about to reach eight months. U.S. aircraft carrier deployments typically last six to eight months, but can be extended for special missions or wartime.

This move appears to contradict the Trump administration’s national security and defense strategy, which is more focused on the Western Hemisphere rather than other parts of the world.

Previously, Gulf Arab states warned that any attack could plunge the Middle East back into regional conflict. The region remains unstable due to the ongoing war between Israel and Hamas in Gaza.

Just a few days ago, Trump also stated that a new round of negotiations with Iran was about to begin. This week, a senior Iranian security official visited Oman and Qatar and conveyed messages to the U.S. through intermediaries.

Trump reiterated his warning on Friday that if negotiations fail, Iran will face consequences.

“I believe they will succeed. If they fail, it will be a bad day for Iran,” he said.

(Source: Caixin Global)

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