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Hind Al Soulia - Riyadh - DUBAI — The United States has announced plans to hold multi-day military exercises in the Middle East as as Washington bolsters its military presence in the region amid tensions with Iran.
The announcement comes after President Donald Trump warned an “armada” is heading toward Iran and threatened possible military action against the regime, which has launched a brutal crackdown on against a wave of anti-government protests.
The exercise would allow airmen to prove “they can disperse, operate, and generate combat sorties under demanding conditions — safely, precisely and alongside our partners,” said a statement from Lt. Gen. Derek France, US Central Command’s AFCENT commander and Combined Forces Air Component commander.
The dates, location and list of US military assets to take part in the exercises has not been made public.
The USS Abraham Lincoln carrier strike group has already arrived, according to a Monday post by Central Command (CENTCOM), which oversees US forces in the Middle East and West and Central Asia.
The aircraft carrier, which has several dozen fighter jets and nearly 5,000 sailors, was accompanied by several guided missile destroyers that carry air defences to protect the carrier strike group.
The US has also moved a squadron of F-15E Strike Eagle fighter jets to the region, according to the Washington Post, which come from the same unit that participated in strikes on Iran in April 2024. The UK has also moved Typhoon jets to the region in a “defensive capacity.”
It was the first time that an aircraft carrier had been stationed in CENTCOM since the USS Gerald Ford was deployed to the Caribbean in October in the run up to the US operation to remove Venezuela’s strongman leader Nicolás Maduro.
Trump is still considering his options on what, if any, action the US take on Iran and there is no indication any decision has been made, sources have told CNN.
“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 said Friday.
Tensions between the US and Iran have been inflamed in recent weeks over the crackdown on protesters.
Trump has warned against killing protesters and had repeatedly threatened to intervene if Tehran does not change course. Last week, however, Trump said that Iran “wants to talk,” suggesting a possible diplomatic solution.
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On Monday, the administration reiterated it is open to having discussions with the Iranian regime if “they know what the terms are,” a US official said.
Meanwhile, Iran has been escalating its rhetoric against the US, warning that any attack would be met with force that could of destabilize the entire Middle East. Tehran is “more than capable” of responding to any aggression from the US with a “regretful” response, Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Esmaeil Baghaei told journalists Monday.
“The arrival of one or several warships does not impact Iran’s defensive determination,” he said. “Our armed forces are monitoring every development and are not wasting a single second to enhance their capabilities.”
In Tehran a four-story poster in the capital’s Enghelab – or Revolution – Square threatens the destruction of an American aircraft carrier, according to CNN journalists on the ground.
“If you sow the wind, you will reap the whirlwind,” it warns in English and Farsi over an image of the deck of the aircraft carrier strewn with bodies and streaked in blood that trails into the water behind in a shape similar to the stripes of the American flag.
A few blocks away, another government poster shows the 2016 capture of a US Navy boat, its crew of US Marines kneeling in surrender, their hands clasped behind their heads.
According to CENTCOM, the readiness exercises will be conducted with approval from host countries and in “close coordination with civil and military aviation authorities, emphasizing safety, precision and respect for sovereignty.”
Other countries in the region, including US allies Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates, have recently warned they would not let their airspace be used for any military action against Iran.
The UAE, which hosts American military forces at a base in Abu Dhabi, has said it will not provide any logistical support for military action against Iran either. — Agencies
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