Washington mobilizes aircraft carriers, aircraft, and defensive systems in response to the repression by the Iranian regime, which has already left at least 3,400 dead
Currently, about 30,000 United States soldiers are assigned to the Central Command (CENTCOM) area, although there are no aircraft carriers operating within that jurisdiction. The naval presence consists of three destroyers and three Littoral Combat Ships, while other aircraft carriers operate in Japan, the Caribbean, and the INDOPACOM area.
The temporary pause in the decision on a military operation, according to Pentagon sources, was used to reinforce positions and transfer additional defensive equipment, under the supervision of the Secretary of War, Pete Hegseth.
Diplomatic pressure accompanied the military movements. The United States ambassador to the UN, Mike Waltz, stated before the Security Council that Washington doesn't rule out any path to stop the massacre in Iran.
He described Trump as "a man of action" and emphasized that the Iranian regime governs "through repression, violence, and intimidation," in addition to having destabilized the region for decades.
Waltz urged the international community to stop looking the other way and to support the Iranian people, who are victims of a repression that has already left at least 3,400 dead, thousands injured, and mass detentions. He reiterated that the United States will hold the regime responsible for the economic crisis and for the systematic violation of the country's freedoms.
Amid the escalation of violence in Iran and the digital blackout imposed by the regime, the United States began transferring military assets to the Middle East as a preventive measure in the face of a possible worsening of the conflict. According to New York Times reports, the aircraft carrier USS Abraham Lincoln, accompanied by escort ships, is heading toward the region from the South China Sea on a journey that will take approximately one week.
The deployment adds to the dispatch of multiple aircraft —including fighter jets, attack aircraft, and refueling units— from Europe. Part of these assets will replace equipment already present in the region, while others will remain depending on how the crisis evolves.
The Pentagon, anticipating possible reprisals from Tehran in response to a United States operation, reinforced air defense at Al Udeid base in Qatar. Among the resources sent are interceptor missiles and additional protection systems for United States bases in the Middle East.
In parallel, sources cited by Fox News confirmed that United States air, land, and naval assets will arrive progressively in the coming days and weeks. The objective is to expand President Donald Trump's military options, who must assess the scope and nature of any future action against the ayatollah regime.
Although it was not specified whether the ship that was mobilized corresponds to the USS Abraham Lincoln or one of the aircraft carriers that recently departed from Norfolk and San Diego, it is estimated that the transit to the region will take at least one week.
A military source cited by Fox News warned that, if Trump decides to move forward with a military operation, "it will be different, more offensive" compared with the mission that made it possible to capture the former Venezuelan dictator Nicolás Maduro in Caracas.
