The Nimitz-class aircraft carrier USS Abraham Lincoln (CVN 72) departs Everett Naval Base, Wash., for a scheduled seven-month mission in the U.S. 5th Fleet area of responsibility, Jan. 16, 2026. PHOTO: PJF Military Collection / Alamy / Profimedia
A US aircraft carrier and supporting warships have arrived in the Middle East, two US officials told Reuters on Monday, expanding President Donald Trump's ability to build up US forces in the region or potentially take military action against Iran.
The USS Abraham Lincoln aircraft carrier and several guided-missile destroyers passed through the Middle East region, which is under US Central Military Command, US officials told the Reuters news agency.
Trump said last Thursday that the United States has an “army” heading toward Iran, but that he hopes he won't have to use it.
US warships began to be deployed from the Asia-Pacific region earlier this month amid escalating tensions between Tehran and Washington following a crackdown on protests in Iran.
Trump has repeatedly threatened to intervene if Iran continues to kill protesters, but nationwide demonstrations have since subsided. The US president said he had been told that killings were on the decline and that, in his view, there was currently no plan to execute those arrested.
In the past, the US military has sent forces to the Middle East at times of heightened tensions, moves that were often defensive.
However, the US military staged a major mobilization last year ahead of the June bombings of facilities in Iran's nuclear program.
In addition to the USS Abraham Lincoln aircraft carrier and warships, the Pentagon is also moving fighter jets and air defense systems to the Middle East.
Over the weekend, the US military announced it would conduct a military exercise in the region “to demonstrate the ability to deploy, disperse and sustain combat air power.”
A senior Iranian official said last week that Tehran would regard any attack as “total war against us”.
The United Arab Emirates announced on Monday that it will not allow its airspace, territory or territorial waters to be used for hostile military action against Iran.
The US military's Al Dhafra Air Base is located south of the UAE capital, Abu Dhabi, and has been a crucial hub for the US Air Force in support of key missions against the Islamic State as well as reconnaissance operations across the region.
Even before the announcement by US officials, the Iranian government had warned on Monday against any US military intervention.
“The arrival of such a warship will not affect Iran's determination to defend the nation,” Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmail Baghaid said in an apparent reference to the US aircraft carrier USS Lincoln.
“The Islamic Republic of Iran has confidence in its own capabilities,” Baghaid added, quoted by AFP.
Strong decision against military intervention in Iran. The announcement by the United Arab Emirates, after Trump sent an “armada” to the Gulf
