President Trump’s “big armada” featuring an aircraft-carrier strike group has arrived near Iran — with the commander in chief warning Tehran to cut a deal to end its deadly crackdown on anti-regime protesters, according to new reports.
Trump on Monday hailed the arrival of the US forces, saying the chaos in Iran would soon be sorted out thanks to his latest show of force in the region, Axios reported.
“We have a big armada next to Iran. Bigger than Venezuela,” he said, referencing the forces in Latin America that captured former dictator Nicolas Maduro.
In the face of the American “armada” off Iran and repeated reports of Trump’s willingness to leave an option for military force in the region on the table, the president said he genuinely believes Tehran is ready to negotiate.
“They want to make a deal. I know so. They called on numerous occasions,” he told Axios. “They want to talk.”
Tensions have remained high between Washington and Tehran since the deadly crackdown on Iranian protesters earlier this month, with human-rights groups warning that the death toll will likely exceed 5,000.
Iran has warned Trump to stay away from the nation’s affairs, threatening attacks on US soldiers in the region if the Islamic Republic comes under attack.
Trump is reportedly scheduled to meet with his team to discuss military options involving Iran, after the president vowed to protect those protesting authoritarian rule in the Islamic State earlier this month.
Those options are enhanced by the arrival of the USS Abraham Lincoln aircraft carrier strike group to the region, the Wall Street Journal reported.
The Lincoln and its accompanying warships entered Central Command’s zone of responsibility Monday, bringing additional F-35C and F-18 jet fighters that can target deep inside Iran, according to the outlet.
The strike group can also deploy the same EA-18 Growler warplanes that crippled the Venezuelan army’s radars and left Maduro vulnerable to capture.
There are also three Navy destroyers now on hand that are capable of firing Tomahawk cruise missiles, a defense official told the Journal.
Along with the USS Abraham Lincoln, America has two destroyers stationed near the Strait of Hormuz, as well as three combat ships in the Persian Gulf, according to the outlet.
