American "Lincoln" aircraft carrier enters the Middle East, strengthening military deployment in the region, tensions continue to escalate
The U.S. military announced on Monday, January 26, that the "Lincoln" aircraft carrier and its escort fleet have arrived in the Middle East, further strengthening military deployments in the region as relations with Iran are highly tense. The U.S. Central Command stated that this move aims to "promote regional security and stability." Iran immediately issued a warning, saying that the arrival of the U.S. aircraft carrier "will not shake Iran's determination to defend the country," and emphasized confidence in its own military capabilities.
According to reports from Reuters and AFP, two U.S. officials confirmed on Monday that the "Lincoln" aircraft carrier and several missile destroyers have completed their deployment to the Middle East. This carrier strike group was previously located in the Asia-Pacific region and began moving towards the Middle East at the beginning of this month. Recent nationwide protests in Iran were suppressed, leading to a deterioration in U.S.-Iran relations.
President Trump said last week that the United States has a "fleet" heading toward Iran, but he expressed hope that it would not be used. The U.S. Central Command said on the social media platform X that this deployment aims to "promote regional security and stability."
In addition to the aircraft carrier and surface ships, the U.S. Department of Defense is also deploying fighter jets and air defense systems to the Middle East. The U.S. military also announced military exercises in the region to demonstrate the U.S. military's ability to rapidly deploy, disperse, and maintain air combat capability in the area. Reuters noted that the U.S. military has frequently increased forces during periods of tension in the Middle East, and such actions are usually defensive in nature; however, the U.S. military had also conducted large-scale military mobilizations before carrying out strikes on Iran's nuclear program last year.
Before the U.S. military announced the arrival of the aircraft carrier, Iran issued a warning. Iran's Foreign Ministry spokesperson Bagheri stated that the arrival of such warships "will not shake Iran's determination to defend the country," and said Iran is "confident in its own capabilities."
A senior Iranian official warned that Tehran would view any attack as "a full-scale war against us."
Iran and Israel clashed in a 12-day war in June 2025, triggered by Israel's unprecedented attacks on Iranian military and nuclear facilities as well as residential areas. The United States joined the military operation against its Israeli ally, conducting airstrikes on three Iranian nuclear facilities.
After this battle, Iran suffered a setback, and then used strong measures to suppress recent protests. The protests initially started in December of last year by merchants due to economic difficulties, and quickly spread, expanding rapidly on January 8, becoming one of the most severe challenges faced by the regime since the establishment of the Islamic Republic of Iran in 1979.
Trump had repeatedly threatened that the United States might intervene if Iran continued to kill protesters. However, as signs of cooling in the demonstrations appeared, Trump said he learned that the killings were decreasing and believed there was no plan to execute detainees at the moment.
Sources: rfi
Original: toutiao.com/article/1855435324604551/
Statement: This article represents the views of the author.