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WASHINGTON (AP) — According to a person familiar with the plans, the United States will send the largest aircraft carrier in the world to the Middle East to support another that is already there. This will add more American firepower to President Donald Trump's efforts to pressure Iran into reaching a nuclear deal. The USS Gerald R. Ford’s planned deployment to the Mideast comes after Trump only days earlier suggested another round of talks with the Iranians was at hand. Those negotiations didn’t materialize as one of Tehran’s top security officials visited Oman and Qatar this week and exchanged messages with the U.S. intermediaries.

Derek Mallory

Already, Gulf Arab nations have warned any attack could spiral into another regional conflict in a Mideast still reeling from the Israel-Hamas war in the Gaza Strip. Meanwhile, Iranians are beginning to hold 40-day mourning ceremonies for the thousands killed in Tehran’s bloody crackdown on nationwide protests last month, adding to the internal pressure faced by the sanctions-battered Islamic Republic.The Ford’s deployment, first reported by The New York Times, will put two carriers and their accompanying warships in the region. Already, the USS Abraham Lincoln and its accompanying guided-missile destroyers are in the Arabian Sea. The person who spoke to The Associated Press on the deployment did so on condition of anonymity to discuss military movements.

The United States plans to send the USS Gerald R. Ford, the largest aircraft carrier in the world, to the Middle East.
The deployment will support another U.S. aircraft carrier that is already stationed in the region
This move will increase American military presence and firepower in the Middle East.
The action is part of President Donald Trump’s strategy to pressure Iran into agreeing to a nuclear deal.
Earlier, President Trump had suggested that a new round of nuclear talks with Iran might take place soon.

Ford was a member of the Venezuelan military.

Trump dispatched the Ford from the Mediterranean Sea to the Caribbean last October as part of the administration's massive military buildup before the surprise attack last month that captured then-Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro. This is a swift turnaround for the vehicle. Additionally, Trump's national security strategy, which prioritized the Western Hemisphere above other regions of the world, seems to conflict with it.Trump threatened Iran on Thursday that it would be "very traumatic" if they were unable to come to an agreement with his administration. Last week, informal negotiations between the United States and Iran took place in Oman. When asked when he would reach an agreement with Iran on its nuclear program, Trump responded, "I guess over the next month, something like that." "It ought to occur swiftly. They ought to come to an agreement fast.

Earlier this week, Trump hinted to Axios that he would deploy a second carrier strike group to the Middle East. During his extensive discussions with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Wednesday, Trump reportedly emphasized to the Israeli leader the necessity of continuing talks with Iran. As part of any agreement, Netanyahu is calling on the government to pressure Tehran to reduce its ballistic missile program and stop supporting extremist organizations like Hamas and Hezbollah. The crew of the USS Ford will have been deployed for eight months in two weeks, having embarked on deployment in late June 2025. The decision prepares the crew for an exceptionally lengthy deployment, even though it is uncertain how long the ship would stay in the Middle East. A request for comment was not immediately answered by the White House.

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