Ten US warships in Middle East as Trump threatens Iran

• The US has increased its regional presence to ten warships, including the USS Abraham Lincoln strike group and F-35C stealth fighters; an "armada" President Trump claims is larger than the force used during the recent Venezuela operation.
• While Trump warned of military action with "speed and violence" if Iran refuses a new nuclear deal, Iranian Foreign Minister Araghchi countered that while Tehran’s forces are "on the trigger," they remain open to a fair agreement that guarantees peaceful nuclear technology.

The number of US warships deployed in the region has risen to ten following the arrival of a new aircraft carrier strike group, placing major combat capabilities at the disposal of President Donald Trump should he decide to launch a strike against Iran.

The scale of the US naval presence in the Middle East now approaches that deployed by Washington in the Caribbean ahead of the swift military operation carried out by US special forces that resulted in the abduction of President Nicolás Maduro.

On Wednesday, a US official said the total number of American ships deployed in the Middle East had reached ten.

This includes the USS Abraham Lincoln aircraft carrier strike group, which comprises three destroyers and F-35C stealth fighter jets.

The deployment also includes six other US warships operating in the region—three destroyers and three littoral combat ships.

Trump said on Truth Social that a large US naval force is now sailing toward Iran, urging Tehran to negotiate a deal and warning that the next military action could be far worse if diplomacy fails.

Trump posted on Truth Social that a “massive armada” led by the aircraft carrier USS Abraham Lincoln is moving quickly with “great power, enthusiasm, and purpose,” and is larger than the fleet previously sent to Venezuela.

He said the deployment is ready to fulfill its mission “with speed and violence, if necessary,” but expressed hope that Iran would “come to the table” to negotiate a “fair and equitable deal” that includes no nuclear weapons.

Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi warned on Wednesday that his country would respond forcefully to any US military operation, while not ruling out the possibility of reaching a new agreement on Tehran’s nuclear program.

Araghchi wrote on X that “our brave armed forces are ready—with fingers on the trigger—to respond immediately and forcefully to any aggression from land, sea, or air.”

He added that Iran has “always welcomed a mutually beneficial, fair, and equitable nuclear agreement—on an equal footing and without coercion, threats, or intimidation—that guarantees Iran’s rights to peaceful nuclear technology and ensures the absence of nuclear weapons.”

Orders to deploy the aircraft carrier and its accompanying strike group to the Middle East came after a reported crackdown led by Iranian authorities on protests that erupted in late December over deteriorating living conditions, and which quickly evolved on January 8 and 9 into demonstrations chanting slogans against the Islamic Republic.

Trump has repeatedly hinted at US military intervention in Iran if authorities were to kill protesters, telling Iranians that “help is on the way” and urging them to take control of government institutions.

Two weeks ago, the United States announced that Iran had suspended 800 executions as a result of pressure exerted by the US president, prompting Trump to refrain from carrying out a strike at the time.

He has, however, recently renewed his threats of military action.