US President Donald Trump said on Friday that a second aircraft carrier group would soon head to the Middle East, raising military threats against Iran amid talks over Iran’s nuclear program.
US President Donald Trump prepares to board Air Force One at Joint Base Andrews, Maryland on February 13, 2026. (Getty Images via AFP)Asked about reports that the USS Gerald R. Ford would move from the Caribbean to the Middle East, Trump told reporters, “It’s going to go very soon.”
“If we don’t make a deal, we’re going to need it,” Trump added.
Earlier, the New York Times reported that the Ford Strike Group’s new order would join the USS Abraham Lincoln carrier strike group in the Persian Gulf as part of President Trump’s renewed pressure campaign against Iran’s leaders.
Trump indicated earlier this week that he wanted to send a second carrier to the region, but neither he nor the Navy identified the ship.
Tensions between the US and Iran have risen since Iran’s deadly crackdown on protesters last month that left thousands dead. The US has already warned of “catastrophic” consequences if Tehran does not agree to a deal on its nuclear program.
The first aircraft carrier, the USS Abraham Lincoln, and its guided-missile destroyer are already in the Arabian Sea. Last week, US forces shot down an Iranian drone that approached the carrier.
The USS Gerald Ford was part of the Venezuelan strike forceThe USS Gerald Ford was also part of the Venezuelan strike force and was sent to the Caribbean by Donald Trump last October. Months before Venezuela’s Nicolas Maduro was imprisoned, Trump sent the USS Gerald to the Caribbean islands for a military operation.
The USS Ford began deployment in late June 2025, meaning the crew will be deployed for eight months in two weeks.
Trump warned Iran on Friday that failure to reach a deal with his administration would be “very painful.” The two countries also held indirect talks in Oman last week.
“I think something like that will happen next month,” Trump said Thursday of the possibility of a deal with Iran on its nuclear program.
Gulf Arab states have already warned that an attack could lead to another regional conflict in West Asia, still stemming from the Israel-Hamas war in the Gaza Strip.
