U.S. President Donald Trump said on Tuesday that another U.S. “war fleet” is heading toward Iran, expressing hope that Tehran would reach an agreement with Washington.
In a speech, Trump said, “There is another beautiful war fleet sailing very nicely toward Iran right now.”
He added, “I hope they make a deal.”
On Monday, the United States announced the arrival of a naval strike group led by an aircraft carrier in the Middle East, following President Trump’s threat to intervene amid protests in Iran, while Tehran warned it was ready to respond to any U.S. attack.
Trump had previously threatened military intervention, saying last week that Washington would send “a massive fleet… in case of any emergency.”
The U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) announced that the aircraft carrier USS Abraham Lincoln and its accompanying vessels are “currently deployed in the Middle East to enhance regional security and stability.”
Trump expressed his satisfaction in an interview with Axios on Monday over the presence of “a large U.S. fleet near Iran.”
Speaking to Axios, after confirming last week that Washington is closely monitoring Tehran, Trump said, “They want to reach a deal. I know that. They want to talk.”
For its part, Iran’s Foreign Ministry warned on Monday of a “comprehensive response that would bring regret to any act of aggression.”
Its spokesman, Esmail Baghaei, affirmed his country’s confidence in its “defensive capabilities.”
Referring to the U.S. aircraft carrier, he added that “the arrival of such a warship will not affect Iran’s determination and seriousness in defending the Iranian nation.”
A senior Iranian military official told state television that “the buildup of forces and equipment from outside the region (…) will not serve as a deterrent, but will increase their vulnerability and turn them into easily accessible targets.”
Reuters + AFP
