2nd carrier strike group arrives in Middle East as US presses Iran for nuclear deal

Talk about bringing the heat to the desert

Satellite images show the USS Carl Vinson aircraft carrier operating near Yemen alongside

three warships, the USS Princeton, a guided missile cruiser, and two destroyers, the USS

Starrett and William P. Lawrence. The Vinson joins the USS Harry S. Truman carrier strike group, which has been carrying out

airstrikes on Houthi positions since March. U.S. Central Command says both carriers are conducting sustained strikes

Officials say the military pressure is tied to ongoing negotiations with Iran over its nuclear program

Where exactly those talks will happen is still unclear. Iran initially agreed to meet in Rome, then announced the discussions would take place in Oman

U.S. officials have not confirmed a location either. On Tuesday, Iran's Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, said the first round of talks

was handled well but stressed Iran's core positions never changed. One of the main issues, uranium enrichment

US Envoy Steve Whitcoff says the Trump administration may allow Iran to enrich uranium up to 3 matching the limit under the 2015 nuclear deal But he said any agreement must include strict verification especially around missile development

and weaponization triggers. Iran currently enriches uranium to 60%. Intelligence reports say it could produce enough material for a nuclear weapon in one to two weeks, though actually

weaponizing it would still take longer. Witkoff says the U.S. wants a permanent deal without expiration clauses, but Iran has long

rejected restrictions on its missile program, which it views as essential to its national defense

Israeli officials are warning even limited enrichment poses long-term risk. President Trump says military action is possible if diplomacy fails

He says the U.S. will not allow Iran to acquire a nuclear weapon

So far, no red lines have been publicly defined, but the continued air campaign and carrier presence suggest the White House is keeping pressure on Tehran to make a decision

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