The Pentagon began this week deploying U.S. military assets to the Middle East, including an aircraft carrier strike group and thousands of its personnel, at a time when U.S. President Donald Trump has indicated that he is keeping the option of striking Iran on the table, against the backdrop of Tehran’s crackdown on protests.
اضافة اعلان
Trump told reporters on Thursday: “We have a massive fleet heading there, and we may not have to use it,” adding that the move is “just as a precaution.”
Trump had previously threatened military action if Iran carried out mass executions of prisoners or killed peaceful protesters, but he recently walked back those remarks, claiming that Tehran had halted the execution of 800 detained protesters. He did not clarify the source of this claim, which Iran’s prosecutor general described as “completely false.”
Nevertheless, Trump appears to be keeping all options open. Speaking aboard Air Force One on Thursday, he said that any military action he had threatened would make last year’s U.S. strikes on Iranian nuclear sites “look like nothing” if the Iranian government proceeds with executing some protesters.
Aircraft Carrier Heading to the Middle East
A U.S. Navy official said that the aircraft carrier USS Abraham Lincoln and three escorting destroyers left the South China Sea and began heading west earlier this week.
The official, who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss military movements, added that the Lincoln carrier strike group was in the Indian Ocean on Friday.
Upon arrival in the region, the warships will join three U.S. littoral combat ships that were stationed in the area on Friday, as well as two other U.S. destroyers already operating in the waters of the Arabian Gulf.
The arrival of the carrier strike group would add approximately 5,700 military personnel. The United States maintains several bases in the Middle East, including Al Udeid Air Base in Qatar, which hosts thousands of U.S. troops and serves as the forward headquarters of U.S. Central Command.
The deployment of the carrier comes after the Trump administration had redirected some of its resources from the region to the Caribbean as part of a pressure campaign against former Venezuelan president Nicolás Maduro.
The world’s largest aircraft carrier, USS Gerald R. Ford, had been ordered in October to sail from the Mediterranean to the Caribbean, accompanied by several destroyers.
The aircraft carrier USS Nimitz, which took part in the June strikes on Iranian nuclear sites, also left the region in October.
Deployment of Additional Aircraft
U.S. Central Command said on social media that U.S. Air Force F-15E Strike Eagle aircraft now have deployment capability in the Middle East, noting that the fighter jets “enhance combat readiness and support regional security and stability.”
Similarly, the British Ministry of Defence announced on Thursday that it had deployed Typhoon fighter jets to Qatar “with defensive capabilities.”
Analysts tracking flight data have also observed dozens of U.S. military cargo aircraft heading toward the region.
These movements resemble those seen last year, when the United States deployed air defense equipment, such as Patriot missile systems, in anticipation of a potential Iranian retaliatory attack following strikes on three major Iranian nuclear sites. Days after those strikes, Iran launched more than 12 missiles toward Al Udeid Air Base.
What Is Happening in Iran
Since late December, Iran has witnessed nationwide protests and demonstrations sparked by worsening economic conditions in the Islamic Republic. These protests have placed additional pressure on the ruling regime, which responded with a bloody crackdown and internet shutdowns.
Activists say the death toll from the crackdown has risen to at least 5,032 people, with more than 27,600 others arrested in a sweeping detention campaign. By contrast, Iranian authorities estimate the official death toll at around 3,117.
Iranian officials indicated last week that suspects arrested during the protests would face expedited trials and executions, while at the same time warning of a “decisive response” should the United States or Israel intervene, according to the Associated Press.
