Trump says “armada” of warships is headed towards Iran “just in case”

President Trump said Thursday an “armada” of U.S. warships is headed towards the Middle East, as he continues to watch the Iranian regime’s response to massive protests that began in late December. 

“We have a lot of ships going that direction just in case,” Mr. Trump said when he was asked by reporters on Air Force One where things stand with Iran. He said it was a “good sign” Iran had decided not to hang protesters, adding that “we have an armada heading that direction and maybe we won’t have to use it.” 

The USS Abraham Lincoln aircraft carrier and its escort ships were in the Indian Ocean as of Friday morning, according to defense officials. The carrier strike group brings about 5,000 sailors and Marines with squadrons of fighter jets, helicopters, and electronic attack aircraft. 

The Lincoln was in the Pacific when the president first issued a warning on social media that the U.S. was “locked and loaded” to hit Iran if the regime killed anti-government protesters.

Since the demonstrations began, the Human Rights Activists in Iran), a U.S.-based non-governmental organization, estimates that more than 4,000 protesters have been killed so far and says that number is likely to rise. 

Mr. Trump last week toned down his threats against Iran after he said he had heard “on good authority” that “the killing in Iran is stopping,” and later said Iran’s alleged cancellation of executions “had a big impact” on his decision not to strike Iran that week.  

His comments on Thursday about the flotilla making its way to the Middle East indicate he has not completely ruled out action against Iran over its handling of the mass demonstrations over worsening economic conditions. 

The Lincoln carrier strike group could arrive in the Middle East within the next few days. It will join two destroyers, the USS McFaul and USS Mitscher, and three littoral combat ships. 

The U.S. military is rarely without an aircraft carrier in the Middle East. During the 12-day war between Iran and Israel last year, there were two aircraft carriers in the Middle East. 

The most recent carrier near the Middle East was the USS Gerald R. Ford, which left the Mediterranean after it was directed to the Caribbean along with its escort ships. About a dozen U.S. Navy ships have been sent to the region amid the Pentagon’s counter-narcotics operation, but they are now helping enforce the Trump administration’s quarantine on sanctioned oil tankers near Venezuela.