US Deploys World's Largest Aircraft Carrier to Middle East

The United States will deploy the world's largest aircraft carrier, the USS Gerald Ford, from the Caribbean to the Middle East to reinforce its regional presence and support the fleet already stationed there, a senior administration official and a source familiar with the decision said. The move increases pressure on Iran in nuclear negotiations, although U.S. President Donald Trump said talks with Tehran continue, as reported by CNN and reproduced by Agencia Noticias Argentinas. The Ford fleet had remained in the Caribbean as part of the administration's campaign against Venezuela, which included attacks on vessels allegedly linked to drug trafficking and culminated in the capture of Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro in Caracas. The Gerald Ford will now join the USS Abraham Lincoln in the Middle East, expanding the Trump administration's options in case of a possible attack on Iran. The move comes despite Trump telling Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu during a White House visit that he seeks to reach an agreement with Iran. "They want to make a deal, as they should," Trump said last week. These contacts came after Trump called off planned attacks following an assessment of a possible military response to the harsh crackdown on protesters in Iran. Following the talks, U.S. Special Envoy Steve Witkoff and the president's son-in-law, Jared Kushner, visited the Lincoln aircraft carrier. A spokesperson for U.S. Southern Command, responsible for military operations in the Western Hemisphere, told CNN that the force realignment will not diminish U.S. capabilities in the Caribbean. "So we'll see what happens," the official added. Additionally, the president said on Thursday that he expects an agreement with Iran "within the next month." However, Trump did not rule out new attacks and ordered the deployment of additional assets that could enable a significant air campaign against Iranian nuclear and missile facilities. In addition to the Lincoln, several U.S. warships have already positioned themselves in the region, forming what the White House has called a "flotilla." The USS Abraham Lincoln arrived in the Indian Ocean last month, moving into the area to support any potential operation against Iran. Days later, the Lincoln sailed through the Arabian Sea about 800 miles (nearly 1,300 km) from the southern Iranian coast when it shot down an Iranian drone. Meanwhile, U.S. and Iranian delegations met earlier this month in Oman for the first round of talks since the U.S. and Israel's attacks on Iran the previous summer. "They know the consequences if they don't. If they don't make a deal, the consequences will be very severe."