US media: The US has instructed its second aircraft carrier to prepare for deployment to the Middle East.

According to the Wall Street Journal, three U.S. officials revealed that the Department of Defense has instructed a second aircraft carrier strike group to prepare for deployment to the Middle East as the U.S. military prepares for a possible attack on Iran. One official said the deployment order could be issued within hours. President Trump said on Tuesday he was considering sending a second aircraft carrier to the Middle East in response to military action should negotiations with Iran fail. Officials cautioned that Trump has not yet formally ordered the deployment of the second carrier, and plans are subject to change. One official said the Pentagon is preparing to deploy a carrier within two weeks, possibly from the U.S. East Coast. The USS George H.W. Bush is currently conducting a series of training exercises off the coast of Virginia, and this deployment could accelerate those exercises. If the second carrier is deployed to the Middle East, it would be the first time in nearly a year that two aircraft carriers have been deployed to the region.