LOCKED & LOADED

US gears up for barrage on Iran within days, Israelis war footing for hike in conflict

- CHRIS HUGHES

THE US is beefing up its huge war machine off Iran with a second aircraft carrier and could attack the regime within days.

US defence sources believe a strike is imminent over failed peace talks.

The USS Gerald R Ford - the world's largest warship - will join the USS Abraham Lincoln in the Persian Gulf in about 48 hours.

Israel is on a war footing as PM Benjamin Netanyahu braces for a fresh conflict with Tehran if the US attacks the regime of Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.

The likelihood of a strike stems from US sources hinting demands during peace talks between America and Iran are too far apart.