US President Donald Trump is considering sending another aircraft carrier to the Middle East amid the conflict with Iran, news portal Axios reported on Tuesday.
"We have an armada that is heading there and another one might be going," Trump said in an interview with Axios, adding that he is "thinking" about sending another aircraft carrier strike group.
On Friday, representatives from Tehran and Washington began new negotiations in Oman, which is serving as a mediator, under strict security measures. Trump said the talks had been "very good" and announced further negotiations.
The new negotiations follow the serious mass protests in Iran, which were brutally suppressed by the security forces. Trump then threatened the leadership with military intervention and strengthened the US military presence in the region, including by sending over the aircraft carrier USS Abraham Lincoln.
Now, however, there is talk of a new agreement on Iran's controversial nuclear programme. Iran's leadership remains sceptical about negotiations with its arch-enemy, the US.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is expected to meet Trump on Wednesday in Washington to discuss the negotiations with Iran. Trump is set to receive Netanyahu at the White House at 11 am (1600 GMT), as a senior government official confirmed to dpa.
Israel is demanding that any US agreement with Iran also address the Islamic Republic's missile programme and its support for militant groups in the region. The leadership in Tehran has recently publicly rejected such demands.
