The United States is preparing to dispatch the world’s largest aircraft carrier to the Middle East to reinforce forces already stationed in the region, according to a person familiar with the plan, adding significant military weight to President Donald Trump’s push to pressure Iran over its nuclear program.
The deployment of the USS Gerald R. Ford follows comments by Trump only days ago indicating that another round of negotiations with Tehran could be imminent. Those talks have yet to take shape, however, as a senior Iranian security official traveled this week to Oman and Qatar, where messages were exchanged with U.S. intermediaries.
Gulf Arab countries have already cautioned that any strike could trigger a broader regional conflict, at a time when the Middle East is still grappling with the fallout from the Israel-Hamas war in Gaza. At the same time, Iranians are beginning 40-day mourning ceremonies for thousands killed during last month’s violent crackdown on nationwide protests, increasing pressure on the heavily sanctioned Islamic Republic.
The Ford’s deployment, first reported by The New York Times, would mean two U.S. carrier strike groups operating in the region. The USS Abraham Lincoln, along with its guided-missile destroyers, is already positioned in the Arabian Sea.
The individual who spoke to The Associated Press about the move did so on condition of anonymity to discuss military operations.
Ford had been part of Venezuela strike force.
The move represents a rapid redeployment for the Ford, which Trump ordered from the Mediterranean to the Caribbean last October as the administration amassed a large military presence before the surprise raid last month that resulted in the capture of then-Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro.
The decision also appears to diverge from Trump’s national security strategy, which has emphasized the Western Hemisphere over other regions.
On Thursday, Trump warned Tehran that failing to reach an agreement with his administration would be “very traumatic.” Iran and the United States held indirect talks in Oman last week.
“I guess over the next month, something like that,” Trump said in response to a question about his timeline for striking a deal with Iran on its nuclear program. “It should happen quickly. They should agree very quickly.”
Trump also told Axios earlier this week that he was considering sending a second carrier strike group to the Middle East.
After lengthy talks on Wednesday with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Trump said he had urged Israel’s leader to allow negotiations with Iran to continue. Netanyahu has been pressing Washington to push Tehran to scale back its ballistic missile program and halt support for militant groups such as Hamas and Hezbollah as part of any agreement.
The USS Ford began its deployment in late June 2025, meaning the crew will have been at sea for eight months within two weeks. While the duration of the ship’s stay in the Middle East remains unclear, the move could result in an unusually long deployment for the crew.
The White House did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Ford’s deployment comes as Iran mourns
Inside Iran, anger remains over the government’s sweeping crackdown on dissent. Tensions could intensify as families begin the traditional 40-day mourning ceremonies for those killed. Online videos have already shown gatherings in different parts of the country, with mourners holding portraits of the dead.
One video appeared to show people at a cemetery in Iran’s Razavi Khorasan province, home to Mashhad, on Thursday. Using a large portable speaker, the crowd sang the patriotic song “Ey Iran,” which dates back to the 1940s during the rule of Shah Mohammad Reza Pahlavi. Though it was initially banned after the 1979 Islamic Revolution, Iran’s current leadership has at times used it to rally public support.
“Oh Iran, a land of full of jewels, your soil is full of art,” they sang. “May evil wishes be far from you. May you live eternal. Oh enemy, if you are a piece of granite, I am iron.”
(AP)
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