US President Donald Trump has said a US “armada” is heading towards the Middle East and that Washington is closely monitoring Iran as activists say more than 5,000 people have been killed in Tehran’s crackdown on anti-government protests.
Speaking to reporters aboard Air Force One while returning from the World Economic Forum in Davos, Trump said the deployment was precautionary.
“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 … we have an armada heading in that direction, and maybe we won’t have to use it,” he said.
The aircraft carrier USS Abraham Lincoln and several guided-missile destroyers are expected to arrive in the region in the coming days, while additional air defence systems are also being deployed. Britain has announced it will send RAF Eurofighter Typhoon jets to Qatar at Doha’s request.
Crackdown death toll rises as UN meets
According to the US-based Human Rights Activists News Agency (HRANA), the death toll from the Iranian crackdown has reached 5,002, including 4,716 protesters, 203 government-affiliated personnel, 43 children and 40 other civilians.
The agency said at least 26,541 people have been arrested. HRANA’s figures have previously been regarded as reliable due to its network of sources inside Iran.
The UN Human Rights Council is meeting in Geneva to discuss the situation. The protests began on December 28 after a sharp fall in the value of the rial and quickly expanded into calls for the end of the government, becoming the deadliest unrest since the 1979 revolution.
Warnings, sanctions and a tense standoff
Iranian military officials have warned that any US strike would turn American bases in the region into “legitimate targets”.
While the protest movement has largely been crushed by force and an internet blackout, chants against the leadership continue at funerals.
Trump previously pulled back from ordering strikes, and Gulf states urged restraint. US officials in Davos argued sanctions triggered the unrest, while Trump has kept the option of military action open even as both sides now publicly say diplomacy should be given a chance.
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