President Donald Trump has yet to give an official deployment order

The US Department of War has reportedly instructed a second US aircraft carrier strike group to prepare for possible deployment to the Middle East, as Washington intensifies military pressure on Tehran amid negotiations over its nuclear program.

Three US officials told the Wall Street Journal on Wednesday that the preparations are part of contingency planning for a potential strike on Iran if diplomatic efforts fail. President Donald Trump has not yet issued a formal order, and officials cautioned that plans could still change.

One official said the deployment order could come "in a matter of hours." Another said that the Pentagon is readying a carrier for deployment within roughly two weeks, likely from the US East Coast. The USS George H.W. Bush is currently completing training exercises off the coast of Virginia and could accelerate those drills if ordered to move sooner, the report said.

If approved, the second carrier would join the USS Abraham Lincoln, which is already operating in the region as part of a broader US military buildup that includes additional warships, air defenses, and fighter squadrons.

Trump publicly acknowledged on Tuesday that he was considering sending another carrier to the region. "We have an armada that is heading there and another one might be going," he said, adding that Washington would have to do "something very tough" if negotiations collapse.

The US president also met behind closed doors on Wednesday with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu at the White House to discuss Iran.

"I insisted that negotiations with Iran continue to see whether or not a deal can be consummated," Trump wrote on Truth Social after the meeting. "If it can, that will be a preference. If it cannot, we will just have to see what the outcome will be."

Details of a potential second round of indirect US-Iran talks have yet to be finalized. Officials from both countries met in Oman last week in their first negotiations since last year's Israeli-US strikes on Iranian nuclear facilities.

Iran has repeatedly insisted it will not entirely relinquish its right to enrich uranium and has ruled out talks on its ballistic missile program. Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi has warned that any renewed US attack would prompt retaliation against American bases across the Middle East.