Pentagon preparing 2nd aircraft carrier to deploy to Mideast: Report

WASHINGTON

The Pentagon is actively planning to deploy a second aircraft carrier strike group to the Middle East, according to a report published on Feb. 11, citing three U.S. officials, as President Donald Trump hangs the specter of war over ongoing negotiations with Iran.

Trump said on Feb. 11 that he is considering sending a second aircraft carrier to the region and one of the anonymous officials told The Wall Street Journal newspaper that his order to deploy could come within hours.

The officials said the president has yet to formally give the order to deploy.

The Pentagon is, however, readying the strike group to deploy, likely from the East Coast, within two weeks.

The report said the USS George H.W. Bush aircraft carrier is currently conducting training exercises off the coast of Virginia and cited the anonymous officials as saying that the exercises could be expedited.

Report came as Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, seeking to push for Iran’s ballistic missile program to be included in any deal, rushed to Washington for his seventh meeting with Trump since the U.S. leader returned to power.

Trump told Netanyahu at the White House on Feb. 11 that talks with Iran must continue, rebuffing the Israeli prime minister's push for a tougher stance against Tehran.

"There was nothing definitive reached other than I insisted that negotiations with Iran continue to see whether or not a Deal can be consummated," Trump said on social media after their three-hour meeting.

"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," said Trump.

Trump has hinted at US military action against Iran following Tehran's deadly crackdown on protesters, but at the same time Washington and Tehran restarted talks last week with a meeting in Oman.

The U.S. has also significantly increased its military footprint in the region as Trump warns Iran that it must make a deal. Already, the U.S. has deployed the USS Abraham Lincoln aircraft carrier from the South China Sea.

Netanyahu's office said that during the talks with Trump the Israeli premier had "insisted on the security needs of the state of Israel in relation to the negotiations" on Iran.