U.S. supercarrier off Israel casts shadow over Washington-Tehran diplomatic track

CAIRO, Feb. 27 (Xinhua) -- The U.S. Navy's largest aircraft carrier, the USS Gerald R. Ford, arrived off Israel's coast on Friday, raising concerns that Washington and Tehran may be moving closer to direct military confrontation.

The deployment comes as analysts and regional officials warned that tensions are escalating faster than diplomatic efforts to contain them. The nuclear-powered carrier reached waters near Haifa in northern Israel, Israeli media reported, joining an expanded U.S. naval presence. The USS Abraham Lincoln has been operating in the Arabian Sea since late January, monitoring Iranian activity.

Washington has surged military assets into the Middle East in recent weeks, including advanced fighter squadrons and two carrier strike groups. The Pentagon has not detailed potential operations, but officials said options under consideration range from limited strikes to a broader campaign targeting Iranian infrastructure.

Despite the buildup, the White House has maintained a dual-track approach. In his State of the Union address on Tuesday, U.S. President Donald Trump reiterated that diplomacy remains his "preferred course," though he issued a stern warning that he would not allow Tehran to cross the threshold of obtaining a nuclear weapon.

He later told reporters on Friday when leaving the White House that although he is "not happy" with the way Tehran is negotiating, he will "see what happens" as both sides "are talking later."

U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio, who is expected to visit Israel on Monday and Tuesday to "discuss a range of regional priorities including Iran," has echoed that position, even as officials prepare for the possibility that negotiations could fail.

On Friday, the U.S. State Department authorized the departure of non-emergency U.S. government personnel and their families from Israel. U.S. Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee urged staff wishing to leave to do so "today," according to U.S. media reports.

The U.S. embassy said it may further restrict travel by government personnel and their families to certain areas of Israel, as well as the Old City of Jerusalem and the West Bank, citing security concerns and warning that measures could be imposed without advance notice.

Concerns have spread beyond the region. Britain said it has temporarily withdrawn diplomatic staff from Iran and shifted to remote operations. Canada and India also issued similar advisories, with Ottawa warning that hostilities could erupt with little or no warning. Italy has told its nationals in Iran to depart immediately amid threats of new military activity, and has advised its citizens against travelling to Iraq and Lebanon. France and Germany have recommended their citizens not to travel to Israel.

The escalation follows a third round of indirect talks between Washington and Tehran in Geneva that ended without a breakthrough. U.S. officials have said Trump is considering an initial strike to increase leverage over Tehran, a move Iranian officials have vowed to confront.

Abolfazl Shekarchi, a spokesperson for Iran's armed forces, described the U.S. naval presence as "psychological warfare," but warned that any provocation would draw a "decisive and crushing response," according to Iran's Mehr news agency.

"We are not warmongers, but we are not afraid of war," he said, adding that Iranian forces are closely monitoring U.S. and Israeli movements.

According to Iran's semi-official Fars news agency, Seyed Ahmad Khatami, Tehran's interim Friday prayer leader, said Iran will not suspend uranium enrichment, calling such a step a "humiliation."

Regional armed groups have also signaled readiness to escalation. In Iraq, the Kataeb Hezbollah militia ordered fighters to prepare for a "prolonged conflict," indicating that any confrontation between the United States and Iran could expand across multiple fronts in the Middle East.