Trump Deploys "Massive Armada" as USS Abraham Lincoln Leads Air Drills Amid Reports of 6,000 Deaths in Iran Crackdown

The Middle East is on high alert following the arrival of the USS Abraham Lincoln carrier strike group, a move President Donald Trump described as a "massive armada" sent to watch Iran "very closely." U.S. Air Forces Central, led by Lt. Gen. Derek France, has launched multi-day aerial drills to demonstrate "combat readiness under demanding conditions." While Trump maintains that "all options are on the table," he has also suggested that Tehran is "ready to talk," leaving a narrow window for diplomacy.

This military posturing follows harrowing reports from human rights groups estimating that 6,000 people have been killed in Iran's brutal suppression of pro-democracy protests. With a near-total internet blackout entering its third week, the international community is bracing for escalation. Tehran, meanwhile, has ramped up its rhetoric, warning that U.S. carriers are "easy targets" and that any aggression would trigger a response that would destabilize the entire region.