BBC -BBC Verify has confirmed the location of US aircraft carrier the USS Abraham Lincoln near Iran using satellite imagery, as Washington continues to put pressure on the country over its military program and recent deadly crackdown on protesters.

US and Iranian officials are set to meet in Switzerland on Tuesday for a second round of talks. Iran says the meeting will focus on its nuclear programme and the potential lifting of economic sanctions imposed by the US. Washington has previously indicated it wants to discuss other issues as well.

The Abraham Lincoln, which leads a strike group with three guided missile destroyers, carries 90 aircraft including F35 fighters, and 5,680 crew, was reportedly deployed to the Gulf region in late January but has not been seen in satellite imagery until now. It has been located off the coast of Oman, around 700km from Iran.

The US has also reportedly sent the USS Gerald R Ford, the world’s largest warship, to the Middle East, which could arrive in the region within the next three weeks.

The Abraham Lincoln’s arrival adds to what we know about the current US military build-up in the Middle East over the past few weeks, where BBC Verify has tracked an increase of US destroyers, combat ships and fighter jets in the region.

What military assets has the US moved into the Middle East?

Publicly available images from the European Sentinel-2 satellites show Abraham Lincoln in the Arabian Sea around 150 miles (240km) off the coast of Oman.

It had not been seen since it reportedly entered the region in January but it had been crossing the open sea where satellite coverage is limited. Military assets on land are more visible and frequently captured on satellite.

It means we have now tracked 12 US ships in the Middle East through satellite imagery: the Abraham Lincoln, a nuclear-powered Nimitz-class carrier, which together with three Arleigh Burke class destroyers forms a carrier strike group; plus two destroyers capable of carrying out long-range missile strikes and three specialist ships for combat near to the shore that are currently positioned at Bahrain naval station in the Gulf. Two other destroyers have been seen in the eastern Mediterranean near the Souda Bay US base, and one more in the Red Sea.

We have also been following the movements of US aircraft in the region, where we have seen an increase of F-15 and EA-18 fighter jets stationed in Muwaffaq Salti military base in Jordan, and an increase in US cargo planes and refuelling and communications aircraft moving towards the Middle East from the US and Europe.

How has Iran responded?

The US Central Command released images of the Abraham Lincoln flanked by destroyers, fighter jets, surveillance aircraft and coastguard vessels in the Arabian Sea in an apparent show of military prowess on 6 February, which Iran has met with its own show of force.

On Monday the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) launched a maritime drill in the Strait of Hormuz, located in the Gulf between Oman and Iran. The drill saw IRGC Commander‑in‑Chief Maj Gen Mohammad Pakpour inspecting naval vessels at a harbour before missiles are seen launching from a ship, the IRCG-linked Tasnim News Agency reported.

The Strait is considered one of the world’s most important shipping routes and a vital oil transit choke point. Around a fifth of the world’s oil and gas flows through the Strait, including from Kharg Island, Iran’s main oil export terminal. Pakpour was seen flying over the island in a helicopter in the report showing Iran’s latest military manoeuvres.

BBC -Billionaire Thomas Pritzker says he has retired as the Hyatt Hotels chairman, after his ties with Jeffrey Epstein surfaced in the latest files released by the US Department of Justice.

He said in a statement on Monday that he had exercised “terrible judgement” in maintaining contact with the convicted sex offender.

Recently released files showed that Pritzker was in regular contact with Epstein in the years after the financier’s 2008 plea deal on sex crime charges.

Pritzker is the latest business figure to face scrutiny after the release of files showing the extent of Epstein’s network of high-profile elites.

Pritzker, who has held the role of executive chairman at the global hotel chain since 2004, said he decided to step down after discussions with fellow board members and would not stand for re-election.

“My job and responsibility is to provide good stewardship… Good stewardship includes ensuring a proper transition at Hyatt”, said Pritzker, the billionaire heir to the hotel chain’s fortune.

He said: “Good stewardship also means protecting Hyatt, particularly in the context of my association with Jeffrey Epstein and Ghislaine Maxwell which I deeply regret.”

Maxwell was convicted in 2021 for her role in luring underage girls for Epstein.

He was convicted in 2008 for soliciting prostitution from a child and died while in custody facing sex trafficking charges in 2019.

Pritzker said he condemned the actions of the pair, adding: “There is no excuse for failing to distance myself sooner.”

His statement was paired with a letter to the board, in which Pritzker points out that he will be 76 this year and that the company is in a “strong and sustainable position” with the strength to thrive. He does not mention his links to Epstein or Maxwell in his letter to the board.

The board named Mark Hoplamazian, Hyatt’s president and chief executive, to take over from Pritzker as chairman.

Hoplamazian said Pritzker’s decision “reflects his stewardship and strong commitment” to Hyatt over decades of service.

The release of the Epstein files has revealed the financier’s ties to numerous prominent figures in politics, business and academia, many of whom are facing scrutiny.

There is no suggestion that appearing in the documents suggests any wrongdoing.

Earlier this month, Goldman Sachs’ top lawyer, Kathy Ruemmler, announced she would leave the company after emails in the latest tranche of Epstein documents showed she had a close relationship with the financier.

Ruemmler has denied having any knowledge of his criminal conduct.

Brad Karp, the chairman of US law firm Paul Weiss, also stepped down in February after emails reportedlyshowed he discussed Epstein’s 2008 conviction with him. Paul Weiss has previously said that Karp “never witnessed or participated in any misconduct”.

About 100 US soldiers have arrived in Nigeria to train the West African nation’s armed forces and help them with intelligence in their battle against growing security threats from Islamist militants and other armed groups.

The troops and equipment had landed at an airfield in the north-eastern state of Bauchi, Nigerian defence spokesperson Maj Gen Samaila Uba said.

He reiterated that the US personnel would not be engaging in combat operations and had come at the request of the government.

This is the latest sign of military co-operation between the two countries following the Christmas Day airstrikes launched by the US on two camps run by an Islamist militant group in north-western Nigeria.

The government said it had asked for help in tackling Islamist militant groups such as Boko Haram, Islamic State in West Africa Province (Iswap) as well as other groups.

Nigeria faces an array of security challenges including an Islamist insurgency, attacks by criminal gangs – known locally as “bandits” who loot and kidnap for ransom – clashes over land and separatist unrest.

“The collaboration will provide access to specialised technical capabilities aimed at strengthening Nigeria’s ability to deter terrorist threats and enhance the protection of vulnerable communities across the country,” Maj Gen Samaila Uba said in a statement.

The deployment came after discussions between Nigerian and US defence officials during a working group, he explained.

It also follows confirmation earlier this month by the US Africa Command that a small team of American forces was already operating in the country. Nigerian military officials had previously indicated that around 200 additional troops were expected.

Late last year, the administration of US President Donald Trump raised concerns about the treatment of Christians in Nigeria – and urged the government to do more to improve security and strengthen protection for Christian communities.

Trump had previously claimed there was a “Christian genocide” under way in Nigeria – an allegation strongly rejected by Nigeria’s government, which said Muslims, Christians and people of no faith were victims of attacks.

Nigeria’s government has expressed its thanks for US aid in tackling security issues and emphasised the strikes on 25 December, which targeted an Islamist militant group called Lakurawa in the northern-western state of Sokoto, were approved by President Bola Tinubu.

There are more than 250 ethnic groups in Nigeria, which is roughly divided into a mainly Muslim north, a largely Christian south, with intermingling in the middle.

The family of ex-Zambian President Edgar Lungu, who died in South Africa last June and is yet to be buried, have dismissed allegations he was poisoned.

South African police also want custody of his body as part of their investigations, according to the late politician’s family.

In a letter to the police, seen by the BBC, their lawyers say the family are co-operating with “criminal proceedings”, but maintain the allegations are “unfounded and unsupported by credible evidence”.

It is the latest twist over the fate of Lungu’s body, which remains in a morgue in South Africa and has been subject to an ongoing legal battle between his family and Zambia’s government over where he should be buried.

South Africa’s police service has refused to comment on the letter sent by the Johannesburg law firm Mashele Attorneys, which is representing the Lungu family.

Police spokesperson Brig Athlenda Mathe told the BBC: “This is a very sensitive matter that cannot be discussed at this stage.”

Lungu died of an undisclosed illness aged 68 at a clinic in South Africa’s capital, Pretoria. He had led Zambia from 2015 until 2021, when he lost elections by a huge margin to current President Hakainde Hichilema.

The Zambian government wants Lungu’s remains to be repatriated and given a state funeral, with full state honours – and a South African court ruled in its favour in August.

But Lungu’s family want a private burial in South Africa as they say the former president had not wanted Hichilema to attend his funeral. The relationship between the two politicians had long been fraught.

In the letter to the South African police, dated 11 February 2026, Mashele Attorneys confirmed that on behalf of the Lungu family it had “complied with the five subpoenas issued” in relation to a criminal probe looking into allegations that the former Zambian president was poisoned.

“For the avoidance of doubt, it is our clients’ instruction that the allegations underlying the criminal case are denied,” the letter said.

Neo Mashele, from Mashele Attorneys, told the BBC the investigation by police appeared to be based on a “public utterance” about a poisoning allegation made by one of Lungu’s daughters that was “absolutely not true”.

In its letter, Mashele Attorneys also raised concern over another subpoena it said had been issued by police to the funeral home looking after Lungu’s body.

It said there were two High Court orders that directed that “possession and custody of the body remain with Two Mountains Funeral Services pending the finalisation of the legal proceedings”.

“Those orders are binding and operative,” the letter said.

An official from the morgue where the remains are being stored told the BBC that Lungu’s body was “under tight security [and] surveillance 24/7”.

Mrs Lungu has remained in South Africa since the death of her husband and is leading legal efforts to have him buried in South Africa.

Last week she filed a notice at the Supreme Court of Appeal in Bloemfontein to overturn the earlier ruling that her husband’s body be sent back home.