'An Armada Heading In That Direction': Trump Warns Iran As US Warships Move To Middle East

Last Updated:January 28, 2026, 07:12 IST

US officials speaking on condition of anonymity said the aircraft carrier USS Abraham Lincoln and several guided-missile destroyers are expected to arrive in the Middle East.

US President Donald Trump | File Image

President Donald Trump said on Wednesday that the United States has an “armada" heading towards Iran but said he hoped it would not have to be used, renewing warnings to Tehran against killing protesters or restarting its nuclear programme.

According to Reuters, US officials speaking on condition of anonymity said the aircraft carrier USS Abraham Lincoln and several guided-missile destroyers are expected to arrive in the Middle East in the coming days.

One official said additional air defence systems are also being considered for deployment to the region, a move seen as critical to guarding against any potential Iranian strike on US bases.

The deployments expand the options available to Trump, both to strengthen the defence of US forces across the region amid heightened tensions and to enable further military action following US strikes on Iranian nuclear sites in June.

“We have a lot of ships going that direction, just in case … I’d rather not see anything happen, but we’re watching them very closely," Trump told reporters aboard Air Force One while returning to the United States after addressing world leaders in Davos, Switzerland.

At another point, he said: “We have an armada … heading in that direction, and maybe we won’t have to use it."

The warships began moving from the Asia-Pacific region last week as tensions between Iran and the United States escalated following a harsh crackdown on protests across Iran in recent months.

Trump has repeatedly threatened to intervene against Iran over the killing of protesters, though demonstrations subsided last week. He also claimed Tehran had halted executions following his warnings.

He repeated that assertion on Thursday, saying Iran cancelled nearly 840 hangings after his threats.

“I said: ‘If you hang those people, you’re going to be hit harder than you’ve ever been hit. It’ll make what we did to your Iran nuclear (program) look like peanuts,’" Trump said.

“At an hour before this horrible thing was going to take place, they cancelled it," he added, calling it “a good sign."

The US military has previously surged forces into the Middle East during periods of heightened tensions, typically for defensive purposes. However, it carried out a major buildup last year ahead of its June strikes on Iran’s nuclear programme.

Trump said the United States would act again if Tehran attempted to restart its nuclear programme.

“If they try to do it again, they have to go to another area. We’ll hit them there too, just as easily," he said.

Iran is required to report to the UN nuclear watchdog, the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), on the status of sites struck by the United States and the nuclear material believed to be stored there. This includes an estimated 440.9 kg of uranium enriched up to 60% purity, which, if further enriched, could be enough for 10 nuclear bombs, according to an IAEA benchmark.

The agency has not verified Iran’s stock of highly enriched uranium for at least seven months, despite advising that such checks should be conducted monthly.

Iran Protests

It remains unclear whether protests in Iran could resurface. The unrest began on December 28 with demonstrations in Tehran’s Grand Bazaar over economic hardship before spreading nationwide.

The US-based Human Rights Activists News Agency (HRANA) said it has verified 4,519 deaths linked to the unrest so far, including 4,251 protesters, with another 9,049 deaths under review.

An Iranian official told Reuters that the confirmed death toll until Sunday stood at more than 5,000, including around 500 members of the security forces.

Asked how many protesters had been killed, Trump said: “Nobody knows… I mean, it’s a lot, no matter what."

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