Top Trump administration Iran negotiators visit US aircraft carrier in the Middle East

US President Donald Trump’s chief Iran negotiators, Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner, visited the USS Abraham Lincoln aircraft carrier in the Arabian Sea on Saturday, the US military said, as Washington and Tehran prepare for further talks.

US Central Command (CENTCOM) said in a social media post that the two senior officials toured the nuclear-powered carrier and its strike group.

In a separate post, Witkoff said the aircraft carrier was “keeping us safe and reinforcing President Trump’s message of peace through strength.”

Meanwhile, Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said on Saturday that he hoped negotiations with the United States would resume soon, while restating Tehran’s red lines and warning against any potential US attack.

Iran and the United States held a first round of indirect talks in Oman on Friday, which Araghchi described as a “good start.” Trump also said the discussions were “very good.”

The USS Abraham Lincoln arrived in the Middle East in January, as Trump stepped up pressure on Iran amid its crackdown on widespread anti-government protests.

Friday’s talks were the first since nuclear negotiations collapsed last year following Israel’s unprecedented bombing campaign against Iran, which sparked a 12-day war. During the conflict, US warplanes struck Iranian nuclear facilities.