ERBIL, Kurdistan Region of Iraq - US President Donald Trump on Friday confirmed reports of Washington sending a second “very big carrier to Iran” in case a deal is not reached with Tehran, while indirect nuclear talks have restarted in Oman.

The US is sending the USS Gerald R. Ford, the largest aircraft carrier in the world, to the Middle East to back up the USS Abraham Lincoln which is already in the Gulf, AP reported Friday, citing a person familiar with the plans.

“In case we don’t make a deal, we’ll need it!” Trump told reporters at the White House.

Washington and Tehran have restarted indirect nuclear talks in Muscat, with Trump saying “I’d love to see if we could make a deal. But they have been difficult to make a deal. I thought we would have had a deal last time, they wish they did.”

Trump referred to the last negotiations between the two sides that ended after Israel launched a full-blown war against Iran in June, killing top brass military commanders and nuclear scientists, culminating in the US bombing key nuclear facilities in the country. Israel and Iran traded salvos for 12 days at the time.

Earlier on Friday, Trump said Washington is sending “a very big carrier to Iran,” adding that he would love to make a deal but Tehran has been “difficult,” in an address at the Fort Bragg military installation in North Carolina.

The US has repeatedly highlighted that a naval “armada” is in range of a possible attack and has threatened to intervene on behalf of Iranian protesters who are facing brutal crackdowns by authorities. On the other hand, Iran has cited its significant distrust in Washington as a major obstacle to reaching an agreement.

Despite tensions rising between the two, Trump and Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi have hailed the progress made during the first round of the renewed talks.