By FrumNews.com

The Pentagon has dispatched a second aircraft carrier group, the USS Gerald R. Ford, to the Arabian Ocean to put pressure on Iran as talks are ongoing, reports indicate.

Trump told reporters on Friday he’s dispatching the second carrier group in case he is unable to reach a diplomatic agreement, “I think they’ll be successful. And if they’re not, it’s going to be a bad day for Iran — very bad,” Trump told reporters. Adding the ships would depart if diplomacy is successful.

.@POTUS on Iran negotiations: “I think they’ll be successful, and if they’re not, it’s going to be a bad day for Iran — very bad.” pic.twitter.com/jJNKO8jLzV

— Rapid Response 47 (@RapidResponse47) February 13, 2026

The Ford carrier strike group is the most advanced carrier the U.S. currently has, which was positioned in the Caribbean Sea for several months amid Trump’s campaign against Venezuela, which led to the arrest and capture of Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro.

Previously, the USS Abraham Lincoln, a Nimitz-class aircraft carrier, arrived in the Indian Ocean last month after the Iranian protest broke out, putting it closer to assisting in any potential US operations targeting Iran.