The US is preparing to send a warship to the Gulf in order to provide US President Barack Obama with military options in case the situation in Iraq worsens.
According to the BBC, US Defence Secretary Chuck Hagel ordered the USS George HW Bush, which carries dozens of fighter jets, to be moved from the North Arabian Sea.
Several cities in Iraq are now under the control of Sunni insurgents, who view Iraq's Shia majority as "infidels," and are now focused on seizing Baghdad.
The aircraft carrier along with the guided-missile cruiser USS Philippine Sea and the guided-missile destroyer USS Truxtun were due to arrive in the Gulf late on Saturday, the report said.
Meanwhile, US Secretary of State John Kerry has called on Iraq's political leaders to put aside their differences and defeat the Islamist offensive, the report added.