Overview
- President Donald Trump warned on Truth Social that a “massive armada” led by the USS Abraham Lincoln is moving toward Iran and said any new strike would be “far worse” than last summer’s Operation Midnight Hammer.
- U.S. Central Command confirmed the Abraham Lincoln carrier group and destroyers are operating in Middle Eastern waters, adding roughly 5,000 personnel to a regional U.S. footprint of more than 30,000 troops.
- Iranian officials rejected negotiations under threat, with Foreign Minister Seyed Abbas Araghchi saying forces have their “fingers on the trigger,” and senior adviser Ali Shamkhani warning any U.S. action would be treated as the start of a war.
- Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates said they will not allow their airspace or territory to be used for strikes on Iran, while Turkey and the Kremlin urged de-escalation and a return to negotiations.
- CNN and Reuters, citing unnamed U.S. officials, reported that Trump is weighing options that include strikes on Iranian commanders and institutions to pressure the regime, as Washington links its stance to Iran’s protest crackdown and broader missile and proxy issues.