The aircraft carrier USS Abraham Lincoln and its attack group entered Middle East waters this Monday to reinforce the United States military presence in the region, in a context marked by the repression of protests in Iran and by the warnings issued by Washington to the Tehran regime.
The arrival of the attack group was confirmed by the United States Central Command (Centcom), which reported that the deployment aims to “promote regional security and stability.”
“The Abraham Lincoln Carrier Strike Group is currently deployed to the Middle East to promote regional security and stability,” Centcom indicated on its social networks.
This movement comes after weeks of massive demonstrations in Iran, violently repressed by the regime, and in a context where President Donald Trump has warned that “all options remain on the table” in the face of any Iranian escalation.
“We have a large navy near Iran. Bigger than Venezuela’s,” Trump said in an interview with the Axios news portal.
The USS Abraham Lincoln, accompanied by destroyers and cruisers with the capacity to launch Tomahawk missiles, joins the US military deployment in a key area.In addition to the ships, the US Navy deployed F-35C and F/A-18 combat aircraft, along with EA-18G Growler electronic warfare aircraft, while F-15E fighters and Patriot and Thaad anti-missile systems have been positioned at allied bases in the region.
According to US officials cited by international media, the group is located in the Indian Ocean, within Centcom’s operational radius, which allows it to respond quickly to possible political or military decisions.However, the same sources emphasize that the aircraft carrier is not necessarily in its final position for a specific operation and that there is no confirmed attack order.
The protests in Iran began at the end of December due to the increase in the cost of living and evolved into an open questioning of the political system established after the Islamic Revolution of 1979.
Human rights organizations have reported more than 5,000 deaths from the repression.Trump warned the Iranian regime that the United States would intervene militarily if the killings of protesters continued.“Help is on the way,” he said days ago, although he also stressed that he would prefer to avoid a conflict and highlighted that pressure from Washington made it possible to stop hundreds of executions.
For his part, the spokesman for the Iranian Foreign Ministry, Esmail Baqai, assured that the presence of the aircraft carrier “does not affect Iran’s determination and seriousness to defend the nation,” and emphasized the confidence of the Iranian armed forces to respond to any aggression.The commander of the General Staff, Ali Abdollahi, warned that “any attack will immediately convert all US interests, bases and centers of influence into defined and accessible targets.”
Iran has strengthened its arsenal of ballistic missiles and drones, and after the recent conflict with Israel – in which senior Iranian commanders and nuclear scientists were killed – the regime launched retaliatory attacks with missiles and drones against Israeli targets.The United States also participated in the final phase of the conflict, attacking key Iranian nuclear facilities.
The military tension has generated concern among Washington’s Arab allies in the Persian Gulf, who have asked to avoid a regional war.Pro-Iran groups in Iraq, such as Kataeb Hezbollah, urged their followers to prepare for a possible all-out conflict in defense of Iran.
The US Central Command stressed that the mission is to “ensure security and stability,” although the situation remains volatile and under international observation.
On the streets of Tehran, the regime organized demonstrations and displays of military force, including murals and speeches by religious leaders who warned of Iran’s ability to hit any American target.Meanwhile, the civilian population continues to face repression, with thousands of detainees and a death toll that continues to grow.
(With information from AFP)
