Trump Envoy and Jared Kushner Visit USS Abraham Lincoln After Talks with Iran
Officials said the trip aimed to express gratitude to American service members deployed in the region, highlighting the continued U.S. military commitment despite renewed diplomatic engagement with Tehran.
ERBIL (Kurdistan24) — President Donald Trump’s Middle East envoy, Steve Witkoff, and his son-in-law, Jared Kushner, visited the USS Abraham Lincoln aircraft carrier on Saturday morning following Friday’s talks with Iran, CNN reported, citing a senior U.S. official and regional sources.
The visit was arranged by Admiral Brad Cooper, commander of U.S. Central Command, as part of the Lincoln Carrier Strike Group. Officials said the trip aimed to express gratitude to American service members deployed in the region, highlighting the continued U.S. military commitment despite renewed diplomatic engagement with Tehran.
The visit comes amid heightened regional tensions, as the Trump administration maintains a significant military buildup in the Middle East. The buildup accelerated in recent weeks while Trump reviewed potential strike options against Iran, though there was no indication that any action had been decided upon.
On Friday, President Trump told reporters that Witkoff and Kushner had conducted “very good talks” with Iranian officials after delegations from both countries participated in indirect discussions in Oman.
He added that a “big fleet” was still heading toward Iran and would arrive soon. “Iran looks like it wants to make a deal very badly,” Trump said aboard Air Force One. “We have to see what that deal is.”
The Friday discussions marked the first round of negotiations since the U.S. and Israel struck Iran last summer. Witkoff and Kushner met with Iranian Foreign Affairs Minister Abbas Araghchi, while Omani Foreign Minister Badr Albusaidi mediated the talks after meeting with each delegation separately.
Photos released by the state-run Oman News Agency show Admiral Cooper also attending the meetings.
Following the talks, the U.S. imposed new sanctions on Iranian oil and 14 vessels carrying it, signaling a continued approach of economic pressure alongside diplomacy.
Both sides have agreed to hold follow-on discussions after consulting with their capitals, though no official date has been set. President Trump said another round of negotiations is expected “early next week.”
Regional sources confirmed that both the Omanis and Iranians were aware of the USS Abraham Lincoln visit before it occurred, reflecting careful coordination amid ongoing high-stakes diplomacy.
The visit underscores the dual-track U.S. strategy in the Middle East: engaging Iran diplomatically while maintaining robust military capabilities in the region.