The USS Abraham Lincoln carrier group has arrived in the Middle East, fuelling rumours of an imminent strike on Iran. However, US president Donald Trump’s goals remain unclear. Since 2026, his action have become increasingly erratic in 2026, including an attack on Venezuela and threats to annex Greenland.
The armada had been operating in the Indo-Pacific before redeployment. The US Naval Institute said the fleet was composed of multiple warships and aircraft:
Abraham Lincoln brings with it the striking power of embarked Carrier Air Wing (CVW) 9 and destroyers USS Frank E. Petersen, Jr. (DDG-121), USS Spruance (DDG-111) and USS Michael Murphy (DDG-112).
On 23 January, against the backdrop of Iran’s deadly crack down on protesters, Trump said that he would send an “armada”.
We have a lot of ships going that direction, just in case …I’d rather not see anything happen, but we’re watching them very closely.
We have an armada … heading in that direction, and maybe we won’t have to use it.
Trump made these comments while speaking aboard his personal plane, Air Force One, returning from the World Economic Forum (WEF) in Switzerland. He used his platform to deliver an antagonistic speech, but backpedaled on the threat to invade Greenland — at least for now.
Looming attack on Iran
On 15 January, the US evacuated its base in Qatar. This seemed to signal strikes were imminent, but they never materialised. Protests about living costs in Iran started in December. The Iranian government eventually started cracking down amid rumours — including those fuelled by US and Israeli actors — that foreign intelligence were organising the protests.
With a media and internet black-out in Iran verifying death, injuries and detentions is very hard. Outside Iran, including in the US and Europe, this had led to a climate of confusion and conspiracies.
On 22 January, the BBC claimed to have been given leaked images of hundreds of those killed. In the last 24 hours media reports have estimated the death toll is around 6000. In the same period, other outlets citing Iranian officials who reported that 30,000 people had been killed.
With Trump’s armada in place, the coming days might illuminate what he intends. All that is certain is that his increasing belligerence and erraticism are a major cause for concern in the region and beyond.
Featured image via the Canary
By Joe Glenton
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