US President Donald Trump has said he would deploy a second American aircraft carrier to the Middle East, signalling increased military pressure on Iran while maintaining that Washington still hopes to secure a deal over Tehran’s nuclear programme.
Speaking on different occasions, Trump repeatedly linked the decision to diplomacy with deterrence, saying the additional naval deployment was necessary in case negotiations fail.
Addressing reporters before departing the White House, Trump explained the rationale behind sending another carrier strike group to the region.
“Well, in case we don’t make a deal, we’ll need it. If we don’t have a deal, we’ll need it. If we have a deal, we could cut it short," he said.
He added that the deployment would happen soon and described it as part of a significant military buildup.
“It’ll be leaving very soon. We have one out there that just arrived. If we need it, we’ll have it ready, a big, very big force."
The United States is moving the USS Gerald R Ford, the world’s largest aircraft carrier, from the Caribbean Sea to the Middle East, where it will join the USS Abraham Lincoln and accompanying warships already stationed in the region.
The deployment comes as Trump presses Iran to reach an agreement over its nuclear programme.
In remarks delivered at another event, Trump again emphasised that the carrier deployment was intended to strengthen the US negotiating position, while expressing frustration over past talks with Tehran.
“The situation right now where we sent a very big carrier group to Iran. I’d love to see if we could make a deal. They’ve been difficult to make a deal with. I thought we would have had a deal last time. They wish they did."
He also referred to previous US military action, saying, “And that’s what we did, Midnight Hammer."
Trump argued that US military strength had been rebuilt in recent years and criticised former President Joe Biden while discussing the broader strategic posture.
“With the restored strength and the tremendous power that we’ve now built up over the last number of years, even though there was an interlude with Biden," Trump said.
“We started the process again and built upon what we had already done in the first four years," he added.
On a separate occasion, speaking before boarding Air Force One, Trump reiterated his criticism of Iran and said Washington was increasing its military presence while waiting to see how negotiations unfold.
“For 47 years, they’ve been talking and talking and talking. In the meantime, we’ve lost a lot of lives while they talk," he said.
He added that additional military assets were already being positioned in the region.
“Tremendous power has arrived, and additional power, as you know, and other carriers are going out shortly. So we’ll see it out. Get it settled for once and for all, and that’ll be good."
The deployment comes amid heightened tensions in the Middle East and follows Trump’s suggestion that another round of negotiations with Iran could take place, although those talks have yet to materialise.
Gulf Arab nations have warned that any military escalation could trigger a broader regional conflict, particularly as the region remains volatile following the Israel-Hamas war in Gaza.
Recent incidents at sea, including US forces shooting down an Iranian drone that approached the USS Abraham Lincoln and Iran attempting to stop a US-flagged vessel in the Strait of Hormuz.
The USS Ford’s redeployment represents a rapid operational shift and could result in an unusually long deployment for its crew.
Before Trump publicly confirmed the deployment, The New York Times had reported that the United States planned to send the USS Gerald R Ford and its escort ships from the Caribbean to West Asia, citing four US officials who spoke on condition of anonymity.
According to the report, the carrier strike group was expected to join the USS Abraham Lincoln in the Persian Gulf as part of increasing US pressure on Iran while talks over the nuclear programme continued.
The report said the vessels were not expected to return to their home ports until late April or early May.
The newspaper further reported that the Ford’s deployment had already been extended once after earlier missions elsewhere, underscoring the scale and urgency of the current military posture.
Source: News18