US Deploys Aircraft Carrier to Middle East Amid Rising Iran Tensions
The United States is deploying a new aircraft carrier to the Middle East as tensions with Tehran escalate following widespread anti-government protests in Iran. The warship has already departed for the region.
On Friday (January 16), US media outlets ABC News and NBC reported, citing Pentagon sources, that the aircraft carrier heading to the Middle East is the USS Abraham Lincoln.
The United States maintains military bases in four of Iran's neighbors—Qatar, Jordan, Iraq, and Syria—housing approximately 3,000 US troops. Amid fears of potential retaliatory attacks from Iran, the Pentagon has decided to bolster troop numbers at these installations.
The unrest in Iran began on December 28 as a protest against the rising cost of living and soaring inflation. Within days, the movement spread to cities and villages across 31 provinces, with the intensity of the protests increasing daily. The country currently remains at a virtual standstill.
In an effort to suppress the uprising, the Iranian government has disabled internet and mobile networks and deployed police and army units nationwide. Reports indicate that over 12,000 people have been killed in the ensuing clashes, while thousands of protesters have been detained.
US President Donald Trump has signaled since the beginning of the unrest that the United States might launch a military operation if Iran takes severe measures to crush the popular protests. While his rhetoric has softened slightly in recent days, the possibility of military intervention has not been ruled out.
