As US President Donald Trump considers whether to take possible military action against Iran, the world’s largest aircraft carrier has been ordered to sail from the Caribbean Sea to the Middle East.
The move by the USS Gerald R. Ford will put two carriers and their accompanying warships in the region as Trump increases pressure on Iran to make a deal over its nuclear programme, reports said.
The USS Abraham Lincoln aircraft carrier and three guided-missile destroyers arrived in West Asia more than two weeks ago.
It marks a quick turnaround for the USS Ford, which Trump sent from the Mediterranean Sea to the Caribbean last October as the administration built up a huge military presence in the lead up to the surprise raid last month that captured then-Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro.
The USS Ford set out on deployment in late June 2025, which means the crew will have been deployed for eight months in two weeks. While it is unclear how long the ship will remain in the Middle East, the move sets the crew up for an unusually long deployment.
