The aircraft carrier USS Abraham Lincoln and its three accompanying warships have sailed into the Middle East region, providing President Trump additional military firepower if he decides to strike Iran.
The USS Abraham Lincoln, which is equipped with Mk 57 Mod3 Sea Sparrow surface-to-air missile launchers and can carry squadrons of bombers and early warning planes, and its strike group are in the U.S. Central Command (Centcom) area, which encompasses the Middle East region, the command confirmed Monday.
The addition of the carrier in the region comes as Trump warned Thursday that the U.S. is sending an “armada” toward Iran following nationwide protests in the country, where thousands of demonstrators have been killed by authorities.
“We have a big flotilla going in that direction,” the president told reporters aboard Air Force One. “We have a big force going toward Iran. I’d rather not see anything happen, but we’re watching them very closely.”
Over the weekend, the commander of Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, Gen. Mohammad Pakpour, said the nation has its “finger on the trigger” at the U.S. following Trump’s warning.