WASHINGTON: President Donald Trump announced Wednesday that the United States is deploying a “large force,” including warships and aircraft, towardTehran, dramatically escalating military tensions while asserting the move is a “precaution.”
Speaking to reporters aboard Air Force One, Trump stated, “Our large force is moving towards Iran, many ships are heading towards Iran and we are deploying forces near Iran as a precaution. Let’s see what happens next.”
The President linked the deployment to a previous warning he issued to Tehran. “I had told Iran that if they carry out executions, they will take action, and after my threat, Iran canceled the executions,” Trump claimed, suggesting the show of force had already yielded a result. He did not specify the nature of the alleged planned executions.
However, Trump sought to downplay immediate fears of open conflict, clarifying that “this military movement does not mean that the United States will necessarily take military action.”
The deployment, first reported by foreign media citing U.S. officials, includes the aircraft carrier USS Abraham Lincoln and its accompanying carrier strike group, consisting of guided-missile cruisers and destroyers, along with a bomber task force. The force is reportedly en route to the Middle East.
This move marks a stark reversal from Trump’s recent stance. Just days earlier, he stated he would not pursue further military action against Iran, following tit-for-tat strikes in January. However, he had conditioned that restraint on Iran not restarting its nuclear weapons program, vowing the U.S. would respond if it did.
The rapid buildup appears to be a maximum-pressure tactic, combining military posture with diplomatic warnings. The White House has not detailed the specific intelligence prompting the deployment, but it signals a volatile new phase in the ongoing confrontation between Washington and Tehran, raising the risk of a miscalculation that could spiral into conflict.
