President Donald Trump confirmed on Friday that the US will send a second aircraft carrier, the USS Gerald R Ford, to the Middle East "very soon". This deployment is part of increasing US pressure on Iran over its nuclear and missile programs. Trump spoke at the White House as tension remains high following recent indirect talks between the US and Iran in Oman. Trump said, "If we need it, we'll have it ready, a very big force," highlighting the military buildup that now includes the Abraham Lincoln carrier, missile destroyers, fighter jets, and surveillance aircraft already in the region. The US president expressed optimism about talks, saying he believes negotiations will be "successful" but warned, "It would be a bad day for Iran" if no deal is made. He also stated that a change of government in Iran would be "the best thing that could happen," noting, "For 47 years, they’ve been talking and talking and talking. In the meantime, we’ve lost a lot of lives." These comments come shortly after Trump met with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who anticipates a "good deal" but wants any agreement to also limit Iran’s ballistic missiles — a demand Tehran rejects publicly. The aircraft carrier USS Gerald R Ford, equipped with a nuclear reactor and capable of carrying over 75 military aircraft, joins a significant US military presence aimed at countering Iran’s influence. This step follows the 12-day conflict involving Israel and Iran, which the US briefly supported with strikes on Iranian nuclear sites in June. The US and Iran recently resumed indirect talks, the first since that conflict. They hope to revive an agreement similar to the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), which was abandoned by Trump in 2018. Since then, Iran increased uranium enrichment but denied seeking nuclear weapons. Meanwhile, UN nuclear watchdog Rafael Grossi reported difficulties in inspections of sites hit during the June conflict, calling the dialogue with Iran "imperfect and complicated and extremely difficult, but it’s there." Gulf nations have cautioned that any attack could trigger a wider regional war, amid ongoing instability following Israel’s war in Gaza.