US to send second warship to Middle East

Amid rising tensions with Iran, the United States is planning to increase its military presence in the Middle East. It will deploy the world's largest aircraft carrier alongside an existing warship there to force Tehran to sign a new deal on its nuclear program, a source said on Friday, as reported by the US news agency AP.

According to the plan, the USS Gerald R. Ford is being sent to the Middle East at the behest of US President Donald Trump. The USS Abraham Lincoln, along with the guided-missile destroyer, is already in the Arabian Sea. If Ford is deployed, two powerful US warships and their supporting warships will be stationed in the region together.

The New York Times first reported the deployment. Tensions are currently rising in and around the Red Sea. Gulf Arab states have warned that a new attack could spark a major conflict in the region as the fallout from the Israel-Hamas war in the Gaza Strip continues. President Trump warned Iran on Thursday that the consequences if they fail to reach a deal would be “very painful.”

After indirect talks in Oman last week, he said he wanted to reach a deal within the next month. He also held long talks with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Wednesday, during which Netanyahu demanded Tehran halt its ballistic missile program and withdraw support for Hamas and Hezbollah.

Meanwhile, Iran is beset by both domestic and international crises. Thousands of people were killed by security forces during nationwide protests last month, marking the 40-day national mourning period. In sanctions-hit Iran, patriotic songs were sung at funerals on social media.

The crew of the USS Ford, which has been deployed since June 2025, has been at sea for about eight months. Their deployment could be longer under these new guidelines, but there has been no comment from the White House yet.