Women pose with a poster depicting Iran's Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, in front of a banner showing a U.S. Navy aircraft carrier with its deck covered in coffins draped in the American flag, during a rally marking the 47th anniversary of the 1979 Islamic Revolution in Tehran on Feb. 11, 2026. (Credit: AFP)
The Pentagon has ordered a second aircraft carrier to deploy to the Middle East, U.S. media reported Thursday, as U.S. President Donald Trump weighs taking military action against Iran.
Washington and Tehran began indirect talks last week over the future of Iran's nuclear program, and Trump on Thursday warned of "very traumatic" consequences for the country if it failed to make a nuclear deal.
Late last month, Trump sent the USS Abraham Lincoln aircraft carrier and accompanying warships to the Gulf as Trump ramped up threats against Iran over its deadly crackdown on anti-government protests. The vessels remain in the region.
The aircraft carrier USS Gerald R. Ford and its escort ships will join that strike group after officials ordered it to the Middle East from its current deployment in the Caribbean Sea, multiple U.S. media outlets reported.
The Wall Street Journal, the New York Times (NYT) and CBS News all reported on the Pentagon's preparations and the expected deployment of the second carrier, citing unnamed officials.
The Pentagon did not immediately respond to questions from AFP.
The USS Gerald R. Ford initially deployed in June and was soon directed to the Caribbean as part of Trump's pressure campaign on Venezuela, according to the NYT.
Some of the carrier's warplanes participated in the deadly Jan. 3 operation in Caracas that led to the capture of Venezuelan leader Nicolas Maduro, the NYT reported.
It was not clear how long the USS Ford or the USS Lincoln would remain in the Middle East.
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