The US military will conduct several days of air exercises in the Middle East as Washington strengthens its military presence in the region amid rising tensions with Iran.
A statement from Lt. Gen. Derek France, commander of U.S. Central Command AFCENT and commander of combined air forces, said the exercise will allow Airmen to “demonstrate their ability to disperse, operate, and conduct combat sorties safely, accurately, and with our partners under extreme conditions.”
The announcement came after President Donald Trump warned that an “armada” was headed toward Iran and threatened possible military action against the regime, which has launched a brutal crackdown on a wave of anti-government protests.
The aircraft carrier Abraham Lincoln Carrier Strike Group has already arrived, according to a Monday post from Central Command (CENTCOM), which oversees U.S. forces in the Middle East, West and Central Asia.
But President Trump is still weighing his options for what action, if any, the United States will take against Iran, and there is no indication that any decisions have been made, sources told CNN.
“We have a number of ships headed in that direction just in case. It’s better if nothing happens, but we’re watching closely,” Trump said Friday.
CENTCOM’s announcement did not specify the exact location or duration of the exercise or the assets involved.
Tensions between the United States and Iran have escalated in recent weeks over the regime’s bloody crackdown on opposition. More than 5,800 protesters have died since the demonstrations began late last month, and another 17,091 deaths were still under investigation, the US-based Human Rights Activists News Agency (HRANA) reported on Tuesday. CNN cannot independently verify HRANA’s numbers, but Iran has acknowledged that thousands of people have been killed.
President Trump has warned against killing protesters and repeatedly threatened to intervene if the Iranian government does not change course. But President Trump said last week that Iran “wants to talk,” hinting at the possibility of a diplomatic solution.
The administration reiterated Monday that it is ready to talk with the Iranian regime “once we understand what the terms are,” according to a U.S. official.
Meanwhile, Iran has escalated its rhetoric against the United States, warning that any attack would be met with force that could destabilize the entire Middle East. Iranian Foreign Ministry Spokesman Esmail Baghai told reporters on Monday that the Iranian government is “more than capable” to respond with “regret” to any attack from the United States.
“The arrival of one or a few warships will not affect Iran’s defense resolve,” he said. “Our military is monitoring every development and is not wasting a second to improve its capabilities.”
In Tehran, a four-story poster in the capital’s Enherab Square (Revolutionary Square) warns of the destruction of a US aircraft carrier, according to local CNN reporters.
The article showed images of corpses strewn across the deck of the aircraft carrier and bloodstains on the water behind it, similar to the stripes of the American flag, and warned in English and Farsi: “If you sow a wind, you will reap a whirlwind.”
A few blocks away, another government poster depicts a captured U.S. Navy boat in 2016 with its crew of U.S. Marines kneeling behind their heads in surrender.
According to CENTCOM, the readiness training exercise will be conducted with host country approval and in “close collaboration with civil and military aviation authorities, with an emphasis on safety, accuracy and respect for sovereignty.”
Other countries in the region, including U.S. allies Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates, have recently warned against using their airspace for any military action against Iran.
The UAE, which has a US military base in Abu Dhabi, said it would not provide logistical support for any military action against Iran.
