US to send second aircraft carrier toward Iran: What to know
The USS Gerald R. Ford, the largest aircraft carrier in the world, is expected to join the USS Abraham Lincoln carrier strike group and fleet of US aircraft already assembled in the region around Iran as the Trump administration threatens a new round of strikes.
WASHINGTON — The Pentagon plans to send a second aircraft carrier to the Middle East as President Donald Trump threatens to use military force if Tehran does not agree to restrictions on its nuclear program.
The USS Gerald R. Ford, currently in the Caribbean, is expected to head to Middle Eastern waters, a person familiar with the planning told Al-Monitor. Another aircraft carrier, the USS Abraham Lincoln, and its accompanying destroyers are already in the region off Iran's southern coast in the Arabian Sea.
Asked about his decision, Trump on Friday told reporters the second US Navy aircraft carrier "will be leaving" its current location “very shortly." “If we don't have a deal, we’ll need it. If we have a deal, we could cut it short," Trump said.
Why it matters: Trump had said earlier this week he was considering sending a second carrier toward Iran if its leaders do not return to the negotiating table after an initial round of talks in Oman last Friday.
