President Trump is ramping up U.S. naval presence in the Middle East as he works to fast-track a nuclear deal with Iran. The Pentagon will send the USS Gerald R. Ford and its strike group to the Gulf, joining the USS Abraham Lincoln already in the region.
The Gerald R. Ford, currently operating in the Caribbean, is expected to reach the Middle East within the next few weeks, roughly matching President Trump’s timeline for concluding talks with Tehran. Iranian officials have repeatedly said they will not negotiate under the threat of military action.
Trump told reporters he is deploying the Navy’s largest aircraft carrier as a precaution, saying, “in case we don’t make a deal, we’ll need it.” He had previously hinted at the move ahead of his meeting with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu this week.
The Ford’s deployment will now be extended; the ship and its escorts have been at sea for months and are expected to remain deployed into the spring. Analysts warn that keeping such a powerful carrier group on station for so long could increase pressure to use it if diplomacy fails.
U.S. officials said Trump and Netanyahu agreed to maintain pressure on Iran throughout the nuclear negotiations, even as Tehran continues to resist any deal tied to the threat of force.