Trump Weighs Second Aircraft Carrier to Gulf in Case Iran Talks Fail: Axios

Drew Angerer/Getty Images

President Donald Trump is considering sending a second aircraft carrier strike group to the Middle East as leverage in case renewed nuclear negotiations with Iran fall through, he told Axios in an exclusive interview.

The military posture comes as Washington and Tehran prepare for a second round of talks next week in Oman.

“Either we will make a deal, or we will have to do something very tough like last time,” the president told Axios reporter Barak Ravid.

“We have an armada that is heading there, and another one might be going,” Trump added, clarifying that he’s “thinking” about deploying another carrier.

A U.S. official confirmed to Axios that discussions about the additional deployment have taken place. The USS Abraham Lincoln and its strike group, equipped with fighter jets, Tomahawk missiles, and several ships, are already in the region.

The president, however, voiced confidence that diplomacy could succeed, claiming Iran “wants to make a deal very badly” and is engaging more seriously because of the U.S. buildup.

“Last time they didn’t believe I would do it,” Trump said, referring to June’s strikes on Iranian nuclear facilities. “They overplayed their hand.” This round, he told Axios, is “very different.”

Axios noted that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu will travel to the White House next week for his seventh visit since Trump returned to office, and said he would “present to the president [Israel’s] outlook regarding the principles of these negotiations.”

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