President Trump said on Tuesday that he may deploy a second aircraft carrier strike group to the Middle East to prepare for a potential attack on Iran.
“Either we will make a deal, or we will have to do something very tough like last time,” Trump told Axios reporter Barak Ravid. “We have an armada that is heading there, and another one might be going.”
While Trump claims he wants a deal, he also told Ravid that he thinks any agreement should include limits on Iran’s ballistic missiles, which is the Israeli position and is designed to sabotage diplomacy, as Tehran’s missiles are its only form of deterrence and way of launching counterattacks if bombed by the US or Israel.
Trump said that he expects more talks with Iran next week. Iranian officials have been clear that the only issue on the table is its nuclear program, and, according to media reports, the US agreed to drop its demand that the talks cover missiles, but Trump’s comments suggest otherwise.
So far, the US has deployed the aircraft carrier USS Abraham Lincoln and its strike group to the region, along with additional air defenses. According to a report from Reuters, satellite images show that US forces at the Al Udeid Air Base in Qatar have placed Patriot missiles on mobile truck launchers, which allows them to be moved more quickly, suggesting they’re preparing for an attack.
Iran targeted the Al Udeid Air Base in Qatar during the 12-Day War back in June 2025 in retaliation for the US airstrikes that hit Iranian nuclear facilities. Iran gave the US notice of the attack, allowing time for the base to be evacuated and US forces to prepare to intercept the Iranian missiles.
If the US bombs Iran again and leads to an attack, as opposed to the 12-Day War, which mainly involved Israeli airstrikes, it’s likely that Iran will not give the US any notice of its retaliation and will strike multiple US bases in the region.
