Overview
- The White House confirmed President Trump ordered an additional carrier strike group toward the region, with reporting identifying the Gerald R. Ford group that could take three to four weeks to arrive as the Abraham Lincoln group remains deployed.
- Trump linked the deployment to the risk of failed talks with Tehran and said regime change in Iran would be desirable, signaling heightened pressure if no deal is reached.
- CBS reported Trump told Israel’s Benjamin Netanyahu he would support Israeli attacks on Iranian ballistic missile sites if negotiations collapse, with U.S. planners weighing support such as aerial refueling and overflight coordination.
- Axios reported the United States and Israel agreed to intensify economic pressure focused on Iranian crude exports to China, following Trump’s Feb. 6 executive order enabling tariffs on third countries trading with Iran.
- High-level U.S.–Iran talks are set for Feb. 17 in Geneva after contacts in Oman, with gaps persisting over limits on Iran’s missile program versus a narrower nuclear-only scope.