Is a US-Iran confrontation looming? Military buildup in the Middle East continues | World News

US President Donald Trump announced that a second aircraft carrier group will soon head to the Middle East, significantly increasing military pressure on Iran amid ongoing negotiations over Iran’s nuclear program.

Speaking to reporters on Friday, Trump confirmed that the USS Gerald R. Ford will be redeployed from the Caribbean to the Middle East.

“He’ll be leaving very shortly,” Trump said when asked about the reports. He added a stark warning: “We’re going to need this if we don’t get a deal.”

Military pressure during nuclear negotiations

The move comes as tensions between Washington and Tehran continue to rise. Trump claimed that military power was being positioned as leverage while diplomatic efforts continued.

Trump also stated that the situation should be resolved decisively and said, “We will solve this problem once and for all, and it will be good.”

“They’ve been talking, talking, talking for 47 years. Meanwhile, while they were talking, we lost too many lives,” Trump said. “Let’s see what happens. In the meantime, as you know, a tremendous force has arrived, and additional force has arrived, and the other carriers will be on their way shortly. So we’ll deal with this. You’d better settle this once and for all.”

Trump also touched upon the deployment of what he described as “a very large carrier group” to the region, underlining the size of this increase.

“We’re faced with a situation right now where we’re sending a very large carrier group to Iran. I’d like to see if we can make a deal. It was hard to make a deal with them. I thought we would make a deal last time. I wish they would, and that’s what we did, Midnight Hammer,” he said, without elaborating further.

Massive US military deployment near Iran

The USS Abraham Lincoln aircraft carrier strike group, along with guided missile destroyers, is currently operating in the Arabian Sea. Last week, US forces further escalated tensions by shooting down an Iranian drone that approached the aircraft carrier.

Tensions escalate between the USA and Iran after the pressure in Tehran

Tensioned relations worsened following Iran’s deadly crackdown on protesters last month, which reportedly resulted in thousands of deaths. The US has warned Tehran of “traumatic” consequences if it does not reach an agreement limiting its nuclear programme. Despite the increased rhetoric, both sides held indirect talks in Oman last week.