A new report claims that the U.S. military is currently moving at least one U.S. aircraft carrier toward the Middle East region amid speculation that President Donald Trump’s administration could order a military strike against Iran if the Middle Eastern country continues to kill large numbers of protesters who have been engaging in roughly 20 days of protests against the regime.
According to Fox News, military sources confirmed to the outlet that at least one U.S. aircraft carrier is heading toward the Middle East. Fox News reported that it was not immediately clear whether the aircraft carrier was the USS Abraham Lincoln, which has been operating in the South China Sea, or whether it was one of two aircraft carriers that departed from San Diego and Norfolk earlier this week.
Meanwhile, The Hill cited images obtained by Copernicus, a satellite information company, and reported that the USS Abraham Lincoln aircraft carrier and strike group had been seen moving toward the Middle East region.
According to Fox News, military sources indicated that the Trump administration is expected to move land, air, and sea assets to the Middle East Region in the coming weeks to give the president options if he decides to execute strikes against Iran.
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Military sources also confirmed that missile defense systems are expected to be sent to the Middle East region to provide additional defense for U.S. bases and for Israel. Anonymous officials told Fox News that the military movements are part of “setting the force.”
An anonymous source told Fox News that if Trump decides to execute a strike against Iran in the coming weeks, “This will be different, more offensive.” The source also indicated that U.S. military officials are giving the president a range of military options that could be used depending on the actions of the Iranian government.
According to Fox News, U.S. officials explained that there are roughly 30,000 U.S. troops currently assigned to the U.S. Central Command region; however, while there are three destroyers and three Littoral Combat Ships in U.S. Central Command’s area of responsibility, there are currently no U.S. aircraft carriers or aircraft carrier strike groups operating in the region.
