Trump Confirms US Ships Heading to Gulf "Watching Iran Closely"
Trump deploys US naval force to the Gulf, monitoring Iran after backing off strike threats.
US President Donald Trump has said a large American military force is moving toward the Middle East as Washington continues to closely monitor Iran while stopping short of signalling any immediate military action. Speaking to reporters aboard Air Force One on Thursday, Trump described the deployment as a precautionary measure amid heightened tensions with Tehran.
Trump said the United States had “a lot of ships going that direction” and referred to the deployment as a “big force” and a “massive fleet”, adding that it was intended as a deterrent rather than a trigger for conflict. “I’d rather not see anything happen, but we’re watching them very closely,” he said, emphasising that the military buildup was meant to keep pressure on Iran.
The remarks come days after Trump appeared to pull back from an earlier threat to strike Iran over its violent crackdown on anti-government protests. The White House had said last week that Tehran had halted planned executions of demonstrators, prompting the president to soften his tone publicly. Despite this, Trump reiterated that his warning of possible military action had played a decisive role in stopping what he claimed were 837 planned hangings.
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US media have reported that the USS Abraham Lincoln carrier strike group was redirected from exercises in the South China Sea to the Middle East, underscoring continued military preparations. Trump, however, maintained that diplomacy remained an option, confirming he was open to talks with Iran even as the US bolstered its regional presence.
Iranian authorities on Wednesday released their first official death toll from the recent protests, stating that 3,117 people had been killed. Human rights groups have disputed the figure, suggesting the actual number of deaths could be significantly higher. The unrest appears to have eased in recent days, though tensions between Washington and Tehran remain high.
Trump has repeatedly left open the possibility of further military action against Iran following Washington’s support for Israel during a 12-day conflict in June that targeted Iran’s nuclear and ballistic missile programmes, keeping the prospect of escalation firmly on the global agenda.
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