The first aircraft carrier along with several guided-missile destroyers, arrived in the Middle East in January
The world’s largest aircraft carrier, the U.S. Navy nuclear-powered Ford-class aircraft carrier USS Gerald R. Ford (CVN 78). PHOTO: REUTERS
The US is sending a second aircraft carrier to the Middle East amid tensions with Iran, US media outlets reported late on Thursday.
The aircraft carrier USS Gerald R Ford and its escort ships will be sent to the Middle East from the Caribbean, The New York Times, which first reported the news, said, citing US officials.
The White House and the Pentagon did not immediately respond to a Reuters request for comment outside normal business hours.
Earlier this week, President Donald Trump said he was considering sending a second aircraft carrier to the Middle East if a deal was not reached with Iran.
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The first aircraft carrier, the USS Abraham Lincoln, along with several guided-missile destroyers, arrived in the Middle East in January.
Trump said on Thursday that the United States had to make a deal with Iran and suggested an agreement could be reached within the next month.
“We have to make a deal, otherwise it’s going to be very traumatic, very traumatic,” Trump told reporters.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Thursday that he hoped Trump was creating the conditions necessary to reach a deal with Iran that would avoid military action.
