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, Central Air Forces and Combined Air Command, 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.
President Trump reiterated that threat Wednesday, saying that unless Iran comes to the nuclear deal table, “the next attack will be far worse than the United States’ attack on Iran’s nuclear facilities last year.”
“Time is running out,” President Trump posted on Truth Social.
Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi warned that his country’s military is fully prepared to respond “immediately and forcefully” to any invasion of Iran’s territory, airspace or waters. But he also reiterated Iran’s desire to reach a fair and equitable nuclear deal.
Iran’s Deputy Foreign Minister Kazem Ghalibabadi said there were no negotiations with the United States, but “indirect messages are being exchanged.”
“If they claim they want to negotiate, they should stop threatening,” he posted on X.
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. The Iranian government admitted that thousands of people were killed.
President Trump has warned against killing protesters and has 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) foretells 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 hosts a US military base in Abu Dhabi, also said it would not provide logistical support for military operations against Iran.
The deputy commander of Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC) claimed on Wednesday that the country’s military forces make any hostile military action against Iran “extremely complex and high-risk” for adversaries.
“Iran’s defense capabilities have developed significantly in recent years, making it extremely complex for adversaries to calculate the costs and benefits of military action against Iran.” General Ahmad Vahidi said this, according to Iranian state-run Press TV.
In Brussels, the European Union is facing increasing pressure to add the Revolutionary Guards to its list of terrorist organizations. European officials will meet at EU headquarters on Thursday to approve new sanctions against Iran and discuss granting terrorist designation to the Revolutionary Guards, an elite unit of Iran’s military that has been used to quell mass protests.
French Foreign Minister Jean-Noël Barrault said he supports designating the Revolutionary Guards as a terrorist organization because of their role in Tehran’s brutal crackdown on protests. His remarks were welcomed by Israel’s Gideon Saar, who called on the EU to adopt the measure. Earlier this week, Italian Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani said the losses suffered by Iranian civilians in recent protests “require a clear response” and that he would propose the designation at a meeting on Thursday.
