Trump Says He Could Order Second Carrier Group to Middle East If Iran Talks Falter

‘Either we will make a deal or we will have to do something very tough like last time,’ the U.S. president said.

U.S. Sailors direct an EA-18G Growler on the flight deck of the aircraft carrier USS Abraham Lincoln (CVN 72) in the Arabian Sea on Feb. 3, 2026. Mass Communication Specialist Seaman Zoe Simpson/U.S. Navy via DVIDS

President Donald Trump is considering dispatching a second U.S. aircraft carrier strike group to the Middle East, should talks with Iran fail to win sufficient concessions.

Last month, Trump announced he had ordered a “massive fleet” to the Gulf region, and the aircraft carrier USS Abraham Lincoln and elements of its strike group have since been redirected to Middle Eastern waterways.