The Pentagon has ordered an additional aircraft carrier to prepare for deployment to the Middle East as the U.S. military readies for a possible strike on Iran, the Wall Street Journal reported Wednesday, citing three U.S. officials.
The move comes as President Donald Trump met at the White House with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu amid heightened tensions over Iran and ongoing negotiations between Washington and Tehran.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu arrives at the White House
(Video: Dier Corde)
Trump said Tuesday he was considering sending another carrier to the region to prepare for potential military action if talks with Iran fail. According to one U.S. official cited by the newspaper, an order for the carrier strike group to depart could come within hours.
The officials stressed that Trump has not yet issued a formal order to deploy a second carrier and that plans could change. If dispatched, the carrier would join the USS Abraham Lincoln, which is already operating in the region.
One official said the Pentagon is preparing to send another carrier within two weeks, likely from the U.S. East Coast. The report said the USS George H.W. Bush is completing a series of exercises off the coast of Virginia and could accelerate their conclusion if necessary.
Following his meeting with Netanyahu, which lasted nearly three hours, Trump said in a post on X that no agreements were reached beyond his insistence that negotiations with Iran continue. He described the meeting as "very good," adding that “nothing definitive was reached, other than I insisted that negotiations with Iran continue to see whether or not a deal can be consummated. If it can, I let the Prime Minister know that will be a preference. If it cannot, we will just have to see what the outcome will be.
"Last time Iran decided that they were better off not making a Deal, and they were hit with Midnight Hammer — That did not work well for them. Hopefully this time they will be more reasonable and responsible."
During the White House talks, Trump and Netanyahu discussed the administration’s ongoing negotiations with Iran over a new nuclear agreement. Netanyahu sought to underscore Israel’s red lines, focusing primarily on Iran’s ballistic missile program and the activities of the Islamic Republic’s regional proxies, as well as nuclear-related concerns.
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Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and US President Donald Trump meet at the White House
(Photo: GPO)
Netanyahu told Trump that Iran does not need intercontinental ballistic missiles to strike targets in Israel or Europe. He also presented information indicating that Iran continues to execute civilians despite pledges to the United States not to carry out executions of protesters detained during mass demonstrations.
The leaders also discussed possible scenarios should negotiations collapse and the potential consequences if Iran were to attack Israel.