The Navy has ordered the USS Gerald R. Ford, the world’s largest aircraft carrier, to redeploy from the Caribbean Sea to the Middle East. The move comes as President Donald Trump intensifies pressure on Tehran over its nuclear program and weighs possible military options amid faltering negotiations.

The redeployment of the Ford — which has been operating in the Caribbean after being shifted there last year — will bring two carrier strike groups into the Middle East alongside the USS Abraham Lincoln, which arrived in the region more than two weeks ago along with three guided-missile destroyers. That concentration of naval firepower signals a dramatic pivot in U.S. focus just months after the carrier helped spearhead operations in Latin America.

A U.S. official says the Ford will take at least a week to reach the Middle East. The last time two U.S. carriers were in the region was during last year’s strikes on Iran.

Officials speaking on condition of anonymity confirmed the orders, describing the move as part of a broader push to strengthen deterrence against Iran. Trump has repeatedly warned Tehran that failing to reach a negotiated settlement on its nuclear program could produce “very traumatic” consequences.

The decision to redirect the Ford underscores the complexities of Trump’s national security priorities. His strategy  last year emphasized the Western Hemisphere, a focus that appeared to justify the carrier’s deployment to Caribbean waters and its role in actions against Venezuelan forces last year. That pivot is now giving way to renewed emphasis on the Persian Gulf as diplomatic channels with Iran yield little substantive progress.

Trump told reporters this week that Tehran has a narrow window to reach a deal, suggesting a timeline of roughly a month for negotiations to conclude.

White House officials did not immediately respond to requests for comment on Friday, leaving open questions about how long the Ford and its crew — now facing one of the longest deployments in recent carrier history — will remain in the theater.

The redeployment comes against a backdrop of broader regional unease. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has urged the Trump administration to leverage its military posture to extract wide-ranging concessions from Iran, including constraints on ballistic missile development and support for proxy groups such as Hamas and Hezbollah. Trump and Netanyahu held talks in Washington on Wednesday.

(YWN World Headquarters – NYC)