Washington has built up its biggest military presence in the Middle East in decades as it pushes Iran for concessions on its nuclear programme.
The world's largest aircraft carrier, the USS Gerald R Ford, has arrived at the US naval base of Souda Bay on Crete, en route to joining a major military buildup in the Middle East amid heightened tensions between Washington and Tehran.
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The vessel, accompanied by destroyer USS Mahan, is expected to remain at the base for four days for refuelling, according to reports.
US President Donald Trump has repeatedly threatened Tehran with military action if it does not cut a new deal on its nuclear programme — which the West fears is aimed at building an atomic weapon — or end its brutal crackdown on protesters, which human rights groups and insiders in Iran believe have resulted in as many as 30,000 deaths.
The Trump administration has built up the biggest US military presence in the Middle East in decades as it pushes its adversary for concessions. The countries will hold their next round of nuclear talks on Thursday in Geneva.
Trump warned last week that limited strikes against Iran are possible, and both Washington and Tehran have signalled that they are prepared for war if the talks fail.
The Islamic Republic faces unprecedented pressure following 12 days of Israeli and US strikes on its nuclear sites and top military staff last year, as well as mass country-wide protests sparked by hyperinflation in December that were violently suppressed.
Huge US presence in Middle East
US Naval Support Activity Souda Bay, on the Greek island of Crete, is home to about 1,000 people, including active-duty military, US civilian employees, and local staff.
Neither the Greek defence ministry nor the US embassy in Athens has commented on Ford's arrival at the base. The Ford can carry more than 75 military aircraft, including the F/A-18 Super Hornet and E-2 Hawkeye.
Washington currently has more than a dozen warships in the Middle East: one aircraft carrier — the USS Abraham Lincoln — nine destroyers, and three littoral combat ships.
It is rare for there to be two US aircraft carriers in the Middle East, each carrying dozens of warplanes and crewed by thousands of sailors.
The US had two of the massive warships in the region in June last year when it bombed three Iranian nuclear sites during Israel's 12-day conflict with Iran.
In his first term in office, Trump abandoned a landmark 2015 nuclear deal with Iran that placed curbs on its atomic activities in exchange for sanctions relief.
Following Washington's withdrawal, Tehran began enriching uranium at higher levels — up to 60%, near the 90% needed for a bomb — although it has always maintained its programme is strictly peaceful.