BBC Verify has seen US aircraft carrier USS Abraham Lincoln near Iran ahead of talks between the two countries

The US has deployed 13 warships and a large fleet of aircraft to the Middle East, with a second aircraft carrier also en route, setting the stage for a potential military confrontation with Iran

The rapid buildup to the biggest, baddest aircraft carriers started with the World War II attack on Pearl Harbor.

One nation stands head and shoulders above the rest in terms of its carrier capabilities—though another is quickly catching up.

Aircraft carriers remain the single most expensive and strategically significant weapons platforms any navy can field, and the handful of nations operating them in 2026 are separated by wide gaps in technology,

US President Donald Trump has implicitly threatened Iran with “consequences” if it fails to “make a deal” with him in imminent diplomatic talks.