Trump says large US naval force moving toward Iran as Washington monitors situation
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US President Donald Trump said on Thursday that a large US naval force was heading toward the Gulf as Washington continues to closely monitor Iran, while stressing that he would prefer to avoid military action.
Speaking to reporters aboard Air Force One while returning from the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, Trump said the United States was maintaining pressure on Tehran. “We’re watching Iran,” he said. “You know we have a lot of ships going that direction, just in case. We have a big force going toward Iran.”
US media have reported that the USS Abraham Lincoln carrier strike group was recently ordered to move from maneuvers in the South China Sea to the Middle East. Trump described the deployment as an “armada” and a “massive fleet,” but added that he hoped it would not have to be used.
“I’d rather not see anything happen, but we’re watching them very closely,” the president said.
Last week, Trump pulled back from an earlier threat to strike Iran over its violent crackdown on anti-government protests, after the White House said Tehran had halted planned executions of demonstrators. Trump reiterated on Thursday that his warning had stopped 837 hangings and said he remained open to talks with Iran.
Iranian authorities on Wednesday released their first official death toll from the protests, saying 3,117 people were killed. Rights groups have disputed the figure, saying the actual number of deaths could be significantly higher.
Trump has repeatedly left open the option of further military action against Iran. The United States recently backed and joined Israel’s 12-day war in June that targeted Iran’s nuclear and ballistic missile programs.