Washington DC - The Pentagon is reportedly deploying a second aircraft carrier to the Middle East as President Donald Trump raises the prospects of attacking Iran.

The US and Iran began indirect talks last week, with Trump warning of "very traumatic" consequences for Tehran if it failed to make an unspecified deal on its nuclear program.

Late last month, Trump sent the USS Abraham Lincoln aircraft carrier and accompanying warships to the Gulf as Trump ramped up threats against Iran, using a deadly crackdown on anti-government protests as a pretext.

The aircraft carrier USS Gerald R. Ford and its escort ships will join that strike group after officials ordered it to the Middle East from its current deployment in the Caribbean Sea, multiple US media outlets reported.

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The Wall Street Journal, the New York Times, and CBS News all cited unnamed officials on the Pentagon's preparations and the expected deployment of the second carrier.

The USS Gerald R. Ford initially deployed in June and was soon directed to the Caribbean as part of Trump's campaign of aggression against Venezuela, according to the New York Times.

Some of the carrier's warplanes participated in the deadly January 3 operation in Caracas that led to the abduction of Venezuelan leader Nicolas Maduro.

It was not clear how long the USS Ford or the USS Lincoln would remain in the Middle East.