WASHINGTON, Jan 23 (ABC): President Donald Trump said on Thursday that US naval forces were heading toward the Middle East, signalling continued pressure on Iran, even as he played down the likelihood of immediate military action.
Speaking to reporters aboard Air Force One while returning from the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, Trump said Washington was closely monitoring Tehran’s actions.
“We’re watching Iran,” Trump said. “We have a lot of ships going in that direction, just in case. We have a big force moving toward Iran.”
The president described the deployment as a “massive fleet” and an “armada”, but added that he hoped it would not need to be used.
Trump recently softened his rhetoric after stepping back from an earlier threat to strike Iran over its violent crackdown on anti-government protests. The White House had said Tehran paused planned executions of demonstrators, prompting Trump to claim his warnings prevented further deaths.
Despite this, Trump confirmed that military preparations were continuing and reiterated that the United States would not allow Iran to revive its nuclear programme. He also said he remained open to talks with Tehran.
Iranian authorities on Wednesday released their first official death toll from the protests, stating that 3,117 people were killed. Human rights groups have said the actual number may be significantly higher.
Meanwhile, two US officials confirmed that a US aircraft carrier strike group and other military assets would arrive in the Middle East in the coming days. The deployment includes the aircraft carrier USS Abraham Lincoln, several destroyers and fighter aircraft, which began moving from the Asia-Pacific region last week as tensions escalated.
One official said additional air defence systems were also under consideration. US troop levels in the region are often increased during periods of heightened tension, a move experts say can be defensive in nature.
However, the United States carried out a similar military build-up last summer ahead of its June 2025 strikes on Iran’s nuclear facilities, later acknowledging that the preparations were deliberately kept secret.
Trump said on Wednesday that he hoped further military action would not be necessary but warned that Washington would respond if Iran resumed nuclear activities.
“They can’t do the nuclear,” Trump said in an interview with CNBC in Davos, referring to previous US strikes. “If they do it, it’s going to happen again.”
Separately, the International Atomic Energy Agency has urged Iran to comply with monitoring requirements. The UN nuclear watchdog has not verified Iran’s stockpile of highly enriched uranium for at least seven months, despite guidelines calling for monthly inspections.
Iran is required to submit a report to the agency detailing the status of nuclear material at sites struck by the United States, including an estimated 440.9 kilograms of uranium enriched to up to 60 per cent purity, close to weapons-grade levels. According to IAEA benchmarks, this amount could be sufficient for up to 10 nuclear weapons if further enriched.
It remains uncertain whether protests in Iran will intensify again. The demonstrations began on December 28 with economic protests in Tehran’s Grand Bazaar before spreading across the country.