The Pentagon has begun moving major U.S. military assets to the Middle East, including an aircraft carrier strike group and additional air power, as President Donald Trump signals he is keeping military options open over Iran’s crackdown on nationwide protests.
“We have a massive fleet heading in that direction, and maybe we won’t have to use it,” Trump told reporters on Thursday, describing the deployment as a precaution.
Trump has warned of possible military action if Iran carries out mass executions of detained protesters or kills peaceful demonstrators. He recently claimed Iran had halted the execution of hundreds of detainees, though he did not cite a source. Iran’s top prosecutor has denied the claim, calling it false.
Speaking aboard Air Force One, Trump said any U.S. response would far exceed last year’s strikes on Iranian nuclear sites if executions went ahead.
Aircraft carrier on the move The aircraft carrier USS Abraham Lincoln, along with three destroyers, has left the South China Sea and is heading west, according to a U.S. Navy official who spoke on condition of anonymity. As of Friday, the carrier strike group was operating in the Indian Ocean.
Once in the region, the group will join three U.S. littoral combat ships currently in port in Bahrain and two additional destroyers already operating in the Persian Gulf. The carrier’s arrival would add about 5,700 service members to the U.S. military presence.
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 new deployment follows earlier shifts in U.S. naval forces. In October, the USS Gerald R. Ford was sent from the Mediterranean to the Caribbean, along with several destroyers, as part of pressure on former Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro. The USS Nimitz, which supported U.S. strikes on Iranian nuclear facilities last June, also left the region around the same time.
Additional air power deployed U.S. Central Command said on social media that Air Force F-15E Strike Eagle fighter jets are now operating in the Middle East, describing the move as a step to strengthen combat readiness and regional stability.
The United Kingdom has also increased its presence. The British Ministry of Defence said it deployed Typhoon fighter jets to Qatar in a defensive role.
Flight-tracking analysts have reported a surge in U.S. military cargo aircraft heading toward the region, suggesting additional equipment and personnel are being moved.
Similar preparations were seen last year when the U.S. deployed air defense systems, including Patriot missiles, ahead of a possible Iranian response to U.S. strikes. Iran later fired more than a dozen missiles at Al Udeid Air Base.
Protests and crackdown in Iran Iran has faced nationwide protests since late December, driven by economic hardship and political frustration. Human rights activists say at least 5,032 people have been killed and more than 27,600 detained during the government’s crackdown, which has included internet shutdowns and mass arrests.
Iran’s official death toll is significantly lower, at 3,117. Iranian authorities have indicated that detained protesters could face fast-track trials and possible executions, while warning of a “decisive response” if the United States or Israel intervenes.
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