WASHINGTON: The USS Gerald R. Ford aircraft carrier was seen entering the Mediterranean Sea on Friday, where it was ordered by US President Donald Trump as part of a massive military buildup in the Middle East.&nbsp;The carrier was seen transiting the Strait of Gibraltar -- which links the Atlantic Ocean to the Mediterranean -- in a photo taken from the Gibraltar side of the strait.&nbsp;Trump -- who had previously sent another carrier to the Middle East -- said Friday he is &quot;considering&quot; a limited strike on Iran if negotiations fail to yield a replacement for the nuclear deal with Tehran that he tore up during his first term in office.

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The USS Gerald R. Ford entered the Mediterranean via the Strait of Gibraltar as President Donald Trump ordered increased military presence in the Middle East. Trump said he is considering limited strikes on Iran if nuclear negotiations fail

US aircraft carrier enters Mediterranean as Trump mulls Iran strikes

WASHINGTON: US President Donald Trump&#39;s lead negotiator with Iran, Steve Witkoff, said on Saturday that he visited the USS Abraham Lincoln aircraft carrier, currently in the Arabian Sea, as Washington and Tehran prepare to hold further talks soon.&nbsp;&quot;Today, Adm. Brad Cooper, Commander of US Naval Forces Central Command, Jared Kushner, and I met with the brave sailors and Marines aboard the USS Abraham Lincoln, her strike group, and Carrier Air Wing 9 who are keeping us safe and upholding President Trump&#39;s message of peace through strength,&quot; said Witkoff in a social media post.&nbsp;Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said on Saturday he hoped talks with the United States would resume soon, while reiterating Tehran&#39;s red lines and warning against any American attack.

Central Asia

Trump envoy Steve Witkoff visits USS Abraham Lincoln in the Arabian Sea, projecting US military resolve as Washington and Tehran prepare further talks, with Iran signalling readiness to resume negotiations while warning against any American attack.

Top Trump Iran negotiator visits US aircraft carrier in Middle East

ISTANBUL:&nbsp;<span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 18px; font-style: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: 2; text-align: left; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; white-space: normal; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); text-decoration-thickness: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-color: initial; float: none; display: inline !important;" id="isPasted">T&uuml;rkiye&#39;s&nbsp;top diplomat urged Washington to start&nbsp;<a href="https://www.pakistantv.com/article/uk-france-germany-aim-to-restart-iran-nuclear-talks" target="_blank" style="color:#0073e6;" rel="noopener noreferrer">nuclear</a>&nbsp;talks with Iran in an interview broadcast Wednesday, as US warships arrived in the region ahead of a possible strike over Tehran&#39;s protest crackdown. &quot;It&#39;s wrong to attack Iran. It&#39;s wrong to start the war again. Iran is ready to negotiate on the nuclear file again,&quot; Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan told Qatar-based Al-Jazeera television in English. &quot;My advice has always been to our American friends: close the files one by one with the Iranians. Start with the nuclear issue and close it. Then move on to the others.&quot; Fidan&#39;s comments after a US naval strike force led by an aircraft carrier took up position in Middle Eastern waters, US Central Command said on Monday, without revealing its precise location. Washington has not ruled out new military intervention against Tehran over its harsh response to the protests, which according to rights groups saw thousands of people killed within days. Since Iran began its crackdown earlier this month accompanied by a nationwide internet blackout, US President Donald Trump has given mixed signals on intervention. NATO member Turkey, which shares a 530-kilometre (330-mile) border with Iran, has often expressed opposition to military operations targeting the Islamic Republic. Last week, President Recep Tayyip Erdogan described the unrest in Iran as a &quot;new test&quot; for Tehran, pledging Turkey would &quot;stand against any initiative&quot; that would drag the region into chaos. He said he hoped diplomacy and dialogue would help Iran get through this &quot;trap-filled period.&quot; Speaking to Al-Jazeera, Fidan said the problems with Iran should be tackled individually. &quot;Do not treat them as a package. If you put everything together as one package, it will be very difficult for our Iranian friends to digest and truly process it,&quot; he said. &quot;In some cases, it may even seem humiliating for them. It would be hard to explain not only to themselves but also to their leadership.&quot; The minister made similar comments Friday, telling Turkey&#39;s NTV he had visited Tehran late last year, urging them to &quot;take steps&quot;, saying he believed an agreement with the US on the nuclear issue was &quot;possible.&quot; &quot;A friend tells the bitter truth, and I said what needed to be said,&quot; he said. Fidan also urged Iran to build trust in the region. &quot;When I was in Iran two months ago, I was very frank with my Iranian friends. They need to build trust in the region,&quot; he told Al-Jazeera. &quot;They need to pay attention to how they are perceived by regional countries.&quot;

Türkiye Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan urges Washington to start nuclear talks with Iran as US warships arrived in the region ahead of a possible strike over Tehran's protest crackdown

Articles tagged with "US- Iran clash"

US aircraft carrier enters Mediterranean as Trump mulls Iran strikes

Top Trump Iran negotiator visits US aircraft carrier in Middle East

Türkiye urges US to start nuclear talks with Iran