US Deploys Second Aircraft Carrier to Mideast as Iran Nuclear Talks Loom, Airstrikes in Yemen Intensify

As Iran and the United States prepare for a second round of talks regarding Tehran’s rapidly advancing nuclear program, the US has deployed a second aircraft carrier to Mideast waters.

Satellite photos analyzed by The Associated Press on Tuesday revealed the USS Carl Vinson and its strike group operating in the Arabian Sea alongside the USS Harry S. Truman, which has been actively engaged in airstrikes against Iranian-backed Houthi rebels in Yemen since mid-March.

The deployment of the USS Carl Vinson comes as suspected US airstrikes pounded Houthi-controlled areas of Yemen overnight into Tuesday, adding another layer of complexity to the already tense regional situation. US officials have repeatedly linked the month-long campaign against the Houthis under President Donald Trump as a means to exert pressure on Iran during the upcoming negotiations.

The location of the next round of talks remains uncertain. While initial reports suggested Rome as the host city, Iran insisted early Tuesday that the negotiations would return to Oman. American officials have yet to confirm the location.

The stakes of these negotiations are exceptionally high for both nations. Trump has repeatedly threatened military action, including airstrikes targeting Iran’s nuclear program, if a deal is not reached. Iranian officials have increasingly warned they could pursue nuclear weapons given their stockpile of uranium enriched to near weapons-grade levels. However, even Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei reportedly described the first round of talks as proceeding “well,” albeit with continued caution.

Signaling a potential shift in strategy, US Mideast envoy Steve Witkoff, who represented America in the Oman talks, suggested that the Trump administration may be considering the terms of the 2015 nuclear deal that Trump unilaterally withdrew from in 2018 as a basis for these negotiations. He described the talks as “positive, constructive, compelling.”

Satellite photos from Monday revealed the USS Carl Vinson operating northeast of Socotra, an island off Yemen near the Gulf of Aden. Accompanying the Vinson are the Ticonderoga-class guided missile cruiser USS Princeton and two Arleigh Burke-class guided missile destroyers, the USS Sterett and the USS William P. Lawrence.

The US Navy’s 5th Fleet, based in Bahrain and overseeing the Mideast, declined to comment on the specific operations of the USS Carl Vinson. However, hours after the AP’s report, US Central Command posted videos on the social platform X showcasing “24/7 strikes” on the Houthis by both aircraft carriers, further underscoring the intensified military activity in the region as negotiations loom.