Amid escalating US-Iran tensions, the Pentagon could deploy a second aircraft carrier strike group (CSG) to join the USS Abraham Lincoln in the Middle East, according to preliminary reports.
US President Donald Trump said that he insisted that nuclear talks with Iran must continue in a meeting with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on February 11, 2026, but warned that action will be taken if a nuclear deal is not reached.
Netanyahu is reportedly pressuring Trump to seek a deal that would put an end to Iran’s nuclear enrichment, restrict its ballistic missile program, and cease the sustained support for proxy organisations like Hamas and Hezbollah.
The Iranian President, Masoud Pezeshkian, warned that his country would “not yield to their excessive demands” ahead of the White House meeting.
In fact, the Iranian government has offered to scale back its nuclear program for relief from international sanctions, but rejected all demands regarding its ballistic missile program.
“The Islamic Republic’s missile capabilities are non-negotiable,” Ali Shamkhani, an adviser to Iran’s supreme leader Ayatollah Khamenei, was quoted as saying by state media.
A recent Wall Street Journal report claimed that President Trump had ordered a second aircraft carrier strike group (CSG) to deploy to the Middle East.
“The order to deploy could be issued in a matter of hours,” the WSJ reported, citing unidentified sources. However, a formal order of deployment has not been given and may depend on the progress of nuclear talks with Tehran.
Citing sources, the WSJ report stated that the Pentagon was readying a carrier to deploy to the region in two weeks, potentially from the US East Coast. It also hinted that the USS George H.W. Bush, which has been conducting some exercises in Virginia, could be the second carrier to join the USS Abraham Lincoln.
The EurAsian Times could not independently verify these claims, but experts pointed out that an East Coast-based CSG would likely not be able to get on station until mid-March even if a deployment order were given today, because the ships would have to cross the Atlantic to reach the Mediterranean or go much farther through the Suez Canal to reach the Red Sea, even with shortened pre-deployment workups.
Some analysts believe that a second aircraft carrier is being called into the region for two reasons: to build deterrence and pressure Iran into signing a deal, and to prepare for a sustained conflict if an attack is launched, since it does not have enough tactical air power to sustain hostilities with the IRGC (Iran Revolutionary Guard Corps).
Does the US Need More Airpower To Fight Iran?
The United States has significantly expanded its military presence in the Middle East since January 2026 in response to escalating tensions with Iran, triggering fears that another strike on Tehran may be imminent.
The USS Abraham Lincoln (CVN-72) Carrier Strike Group, positioned in the region, includes the carrier, three guided-missile destroyers, and a carrier air wing with F/A-18E Super Hornets, F-35C Lightning II fighters, EA-18G Growlers, and E-2D Hawkeyes. Additional destroyers and littoral combat ships have also been deployed in the Persian Gulf and Strait of Hormuz to enhance firepower and aerial defence.
The US has also moved its most lethal combat aircraft around for a potential kinetic operation, such as the approximately 35 F-15E Strike Eagles seen at the Muwaffaq Salti Air Base in Jordan.
Additionally, A-10 Thunderbolt II close-support jets, E/A-18G Growlers for electronic warfare, MQ-9 Reaper drones, KC-135 tankers, and other aircraft have been moved to the region, separate from the fighters embarked on USS Abraham Lincoln.
Not just that, about a dozen F-35A stealth fighters are moving closer to potential deployment, according to the latest Open Source Intelligence (OSINT) assessments. It is not clear whether these F-35s would be dispatched to the Middle East, but the evolving security situation in the region makes it likely.
During “Operation Midnight Hammer”, launched against Iran to destroy its underground nuclear facilities in June 2025, the US Air Force (USAF) had deployed seven B-2 bombers that were reportedly escorted by the F-35 and F-22 stealth fighter jets.
The US Navy’s Nimitz-class carriers can normally perform up to 120 aircraft sorties per day in sustained operations. Moreover, with their surge capability, the warships can perform over 240 sorties in 24 hours.
The F-15s deployed in the region are referred to as bomb trucks for their capacity to carry heavy and devastating payloads.
The existing carrier strike group offers significant capability for limited or targeted strikes on targets like nuclear sites, missile facilities, or IRGC assets, supported by land-based air power.
Analysts note that even a single carrier group enables precision operations, arguing that the US has conducted prior strikes on Iranian targets without needing two carriers.
Unlike the United States, Iran does not have a formidable air force, and its naval assets are dwarfed by the US CSG and additional destroyers. In fact, during the 12-day War in June 2025, Israel and the US were able to achieve complete air superiority over the country.
Despite this, several US allies in the region, as well as military experts and war analysts, have warned that an attack on Iran could be a gross misadventure for the simple fact that it could prove to be too expensive, as explained in detail in a recent EurAsian Times report.
Iran may not have a superior conventional force, but it fields an army of battle-tested drones and ballistic and hypersonic missiles that can be used against the US military assets and bases in the region.
In a previous report, the Centre for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) said Iran possesses the largest and most diverse missile arsenal in the Middle East, with thousands of ballistic and cruise missiles ranging from a few hundred to 2,000-2,500 kilometres.
In a potential conflict with Iran, the carrier strike group, along with a few dozen F-15Es and a few A-10s, would likely be used to defend US and Israeli assets against incoming missile and drone threats, and the addition of a dozen F-35s would not drastically change this.
A second aircraft carrier with a capacity to carry 80-90 aircraft would add significant capacity, providing sustained airpower for potentially prolonged or more intensive operations. Additionally, it would bolster defences against Iranian retaliation against American regional facilities.
A second carrier roughly doubles daily sortie generation, enabling persistent, high-volume air operations over extended periods. This is considered critical for any major campaign against Iran, which would likely require repeated strikes on hardened nuclear sites, missile bases, command nodes, and IRGC facilities.
Moreover, dual-carrier operations allow overlapping flight cycles: while one carrier launches or recovers, the other refuels or maintains aircraft, minimising downtime and maintaining constant pressure.
Similarly, when one carrier focuses on offensive strikes, the other on defensive Close Air Support (CAS), Intelligence, Surveillance, Reconnaissance (ISR), electronic warfare, or tanker support.
Two CSGs would create a layered, mutually supporting defensive bubble, supported by more Aegis destroyers or cruisers, thereby improving ballistic missile defence against Iranian salvos.
From a tactical perspective, a second carrier allows one group to be positioned farther from shore for standoff launches, while the other operates closer for rapid-response or lower-altitude strikes.
That, however, does not automatically signal that the deployment of a second carrier is directly linked to an impending attack.
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