From the New York Post: President Trump is sending the USS Gerald R. Ford, the world’s largest warship, to the Middle East, along with a huge fleet of aerial refueling tankers and F-22 and F-35 strike fighters, according to reports.
The massive buildup in military hardware is the biggest indication yet that Trump could be preparing for large-scale strikes against Iran if high-stakes negotiations over the Islamic Republic’s nuclear program and brutal crackdown on protesters fail.
The nuclear-powered aircraft carrier Ford and its carrier strike group set sail in the Atlantic on Tuesday and is heading for the Strait of Gibraltar, the entrance to the Mediterranean Sea, USNI reported.
According to USNI, the Ford “will join the Abraham Lincoln Carrier Strike Group, which is currently operating in the Arabian Sea, as the U.S. negotiates with Iran over its nuclear program.”
Iran’s Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, has been going on a rampage blasting out a number of threatening posts on X, declaring that Iran has a right to nuclear energy and vowing the U.S. will never defeat them.
“The US President keeps saying that they have the strongest military force in the world. The strongest military force in the world may at times be struck so hard that it cannot get up again,” he snarled.
The US President keeps saying that they have the strongest military force in the world. The strongest military force in the world may at times be struck so hard that it cannot get up again.
— Khamenei.ir (@khamenei_ir) February 17, 2026
Next, Khamenei menacingly added, “The Americans constantly say that they’ve sent a warship toward Iran. Of course, a warship is a dangerous piece of military hardware. However, more dangerous than that warship is the weapon that can send that warship to the bottom of the sea.”
The Americans constantly say that they’ve sent a warship toward Iran. Of course, a warship is a dangerous piece of military hardware. However, more dangerous than that warship is the weapon that can send that warship to the bottom of the sea.
— Khamenei.ir (@khamenei_ir) February 17, 2026
“The US President has said that for 47 years, the United States hasn’t been able to eliminate the Islamic Republic. That is a good confession. I say, ” You, too, will not be able to do this,” Khamenei vowed.
The US President has said that for 47 years, the United States hasn’t been able to eliminate the Islamic Republic. That is a good confession. I say, ” You, too, will not be able to do this.”
— Khamenei.ir (@khamenei_ir) February 17, 2026
Peaceful nuclear industry is not for war; it is for running the country—for agriculture, for treatment and healthcare, and for everything that depends on energy. This is among the nation’s rights. What does it have to do with you Americans?
— Khamenei.ir (@khamenei_ir) February 17, 2026
The fact that nuclear energy is our undeniable right has been also included in the guidelines of the International Atomic Energy Agency. That is, all countries have the right to own nuclear and enrichment installations. This is among a nation’s rights. Why does the US interfere?!
— Khamenei.ir (@khamenei_ir) February 17, 2026
READ MORE from the New York Post.
Carrier USS Gerald R. Ford Sailing in the Atlantic, Headed for Strait of Gibraltar — USNI Newshttps://t.co/zZex6v4PnZ pic.twitter.com/vAbuqUQz6V
— USNI News (@USNINews) February 17, 2026
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