Trump sends world’s largest aircraft carrier to Middle East after Netanyahu warned: ‘Iran plays games’
The United States is sending the world’s largest aircraft carrier to the Middle East in a massive show of strength, sources confirmed on Friday.
The nuclear–powered behemoth will bolster American forces already stationed in the region as Washington ramps up its military presence to a formidable new level.
The deployment of the USS Gerald R. Ford, a $13 billion floating fortress, is a clear signal of intent, effectively doubling the U.S. Navy’s carrier strike power in the area.
The move adds significant military weight to President Donald Trump’s efforts to pressure Iran into a new deal regarding its nuclear program.
Instead, a top Iranian security official visited Oman and Qatar this week to exchange messages with U.S. intermediaries rather than engaging in direct dialogue.
The deployment of the USS Gerald R. Ford will station two American aircraft carriers and their accompanying warships in the region simultaneously.
The massive vessel and its strike group are set to join the USS Abraham Lincoln and its fleet of guided–missile destroyers, which are already patrolling the Arabian Sea.
Currently positioned in the Caribbean, the USS Gerald R. Ford is expected to take up to four weeks to steam into the region.
The USS Abraham Lincoln along with a strike group is currently stationed outside Iran
Trump threaten to send a second naval carrier to the Middle East as he prepares to meet with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu
The arrival window aligns perfectly with the high–stakes ultimatum issued by President Trump on Thursday. Trump set a blistering deadline to finalize a deal by next month, warns he is prepared to ‘change course’ should negotiations fail to materialize.
A Senior Administration official tells the Daily Mail that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu Netanyahu’s meeting influenced Trump to take a stronger position towards Iran.
‘Netanyahu basically said, Iran plays games. You don’t want to get played. Trump listened.’
The last time the US had two naval carriers in the region was during most of the war between Hamas and Israel over Gaza.
Although Trump’s threat looms over diplomatic talks, the President claimed Iran ‘wants to make a deal very badly’ and that the latest talks are much more serious than previous negotiations.
‘Last time they didn’t believe I would do it,’ Trump said about his decision to bomb Iranian nuclear facilities over the summer.
‘They overplayed their hand,’ the President added before noting that this time the talks are ‘very different.’
At the heart of the diplomatic talks is the US desire to see Iran end its uranium enrichment program. Trump also said he wants a future deal to also cover Iran’s ballistic missile stockpiles.
President Masoud Pezeshkian said he knew the ‘great sorrow’ felt by people in the protests and crackdown, without directly acknowledging the hand Iranian security forces had in the bloodshed
In Tehran, most protesters were armed with nothing more than the courage to take a stand, January 9, 2026
Netanyahu plans to present to Trump what he calls the ‘restoration’ of Iran’s ballistic missile program –– a move Middle–East experts claim is part of a persuasion campaign to attack Iran.
Tehran, meanwhile, has insisted it will not give up uranium enrichment.
‘We can make a great deal with Iran,’ Trump claimed.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu arrived to Washington DC on Tuesday night to meet with The President.
Trump claims Netanyahu is not nervous the negotiations because ‘He also wants a deal. He wants a good deal.’
Netanyahu latest trip to the White House is his seventh visit since Trump returned to office last year.
Netanyahu told reporters he plans to present Trump ‘our outlook regarding the principles of these negotiations — the essential principles which, in my opinion, are important not only to Israel, but to everyone around the world who wants peace and security in the Middle East.’
