Second US aircraft carrier to head to Middle East amid Iran tensions, US media reports

The U.S. is sending a second aircraft carrier to the Middle East amid tensions with Iran, U.S. media outlets reported late Thursday.

The aircraft carrier USS Gerald R. Ford and its escort ships will deploy to the Middle East from the Caribbean, the New York Times reported first, citing U.S. officials, according to Reuters. The White House and Pentagon did not immediately respond to a Reuters request for comment outside regular business hours.

Earlier this week, President Donald Trump said he was considering sending a second aircraft carrier to the Middle East if no deal is reached with Iran. The first carrier, USS Abraham Lincoln, along with several guided-missile destroyers, arrived in the Middle East in January.

Trump said Thursday that the United States must make a deal with Iran, suggesting an agreement could be reached within the next month. "We have to make a deal, otherwise it’s going to be very traumatic, very traumatic," Trump told reporters.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Thursday he hoped Trump was creating conditions for a deal with Iran that would avoid military action.