Second U.S. Aircraft Carrier Heading to Middle East

USS Gerald R. Ford will sail from the Caribbean and join the USS Abraham Lincoln in the Persian Gulf.

Zach Vasile

Friday, February 13, 2026 at 12:30 PM ET

Verified

Edited By:

Travis Tingle

The world's largest aircraft carrier, USS Gerald R. Ford [Credit: U.S. Navy]

Key Takeaways:

The U.S. is deploying the USS Gerald R. Ford, the world's largest aircraft carrier, to the Middle East to increase pressure on Iran amid escalating tensions.
The Ford will join another carrier already in the region, intensifying the U.S. military presence during ongoing negotiations over Iran's nuclear program and its support for proxy groups.
This strategic move follows recent U.S. military actions, including bombing Iranian nuclear sites and shooting down an Iranian drone, with regional countries warning of a potential catastrophic war.

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The U.S. plans to move the world’s largest aircraft carrier from the Caribbean to the Middle East as tensions with Iran escalate.

A person familiar with the plan told the Associated Press that the USS Gerald R. Ford will join the USS Abraham Lincoln in patrolling the waters south of Iran. The Abraham Lincoln was moved from the South China Sea to the Arabian Sea in January as Iranian security forces moved to crush anti-government protests in major cities there.