Trump hints at second carrier in Middle East as Iran and US near talks

- U.S. President Donald Trump on Tuesday said he was considering sending a second aircraft carrier to the Middle East, even as Washington and Tehran prepare to resume negotiations aimed at averting a new conflict, Reuters reported.

Oman facilitated talks between Iran and the U.S. last week, which a spokesperson for Iran's foreign ministry said had allowed Tehran to gauge Washington's seriousness and showed enough consensus for diplomacy to continue.

The talks came after Trump had positioned one aircraft carrier in the region, raising fears of new military action. Trump, who joined an Israeli bombing campaign last year and hit Iranian nuclear sites, had threatened last month to intervene militarily during a bloody government crackdown on nationwide protests in Iran, but ultimately held off.

In interviews with Israeli media, Trump said the United States would have to do "something very tough" if a deal is not reached with Iran.

Either we reach a deal or we'll have to do something very tough," Israel's Channel 12 quoted him as saying.

The date and venue of the next round of U.S.-Iran talks have yet to be announced.

Trump told Channel 12 and Axios that he was also considering sending a second aircraft carrier to the Middle East.

The USS George Washington in Asia and the USS George H.W. Bush on the U.S. east coast are the most likely candidates, officials have told Reuters, but each is at least a week away from the Middle East. The Pentagon could also deploy the Ford carrier from the Caribbean.

After the talks, we felt there was understanding and consensus to continue the diplomatic process," said the Iranian foreign ministry spokesman, Esmaeil Baghaei.

Baghaei said Tuesday's trip to Oman by Ali Larijani, an adviser to Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, had been pre-planned, and that Larijani would travel next to Qatar, which has also mediated in several Middle East crises.

Oil prices eased on Tuesday as traders remained focused on Iran-U.S. tensions.

A Reuters analysis of satellite images showed a recent build-up of aircraft and other military equipment across the region.

In particular, U.S. forces in Qatar's al-Udeid, the biggest U.S. base in the Middle East, put missiles into truck launchers as tensions with Iran ratcheted up since January, allowing them to be moved more quickly if needed.