The US aircraft carrier "Abraham Lincoln" and several accompanying destroyers have arrived in the Middle East, two US officials told Reuters. The agency notes that this expands US President Donald Trump's options to protect US forces in the region or take potential military action against Iran, BTA reports.
Last week, Trump said that an "armada" of US warships is heading towards Iran, but expressed hope that he will not have to use it. Earlier this month, warships began moving to the Middle East from the Asia-Pacific region as tensions between Washington and Tehran escalated over Iran's crackdown on protesters and its brutal crackdown on anti-government protests that have left thousands dead. Trump has warned that Iranian actions against protesters could lead to US retaliation.
Earlier today, Hezbollah leader Naim Qassem said the Lebanese Shiite movement was concerned about Washington's threats against Iran, particularly threats against Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.
"We are concerned about what is happening and that we are the target of potential aggression. We are determined to defend ourselves." "At the right time, we will choose how to act, whether to intervene or not, but we are not neutral," Qassem said in a televised address.
He stressed that mediators had informed Hezbollah that the United States and Israel were considering attacking the pro-Iranian Shiite movement in the event of an attack on Iran, adding that this time a war against Iran could affect the entire region.