The likelihood of US strikes on Iran increased once again, as Washington deployed a carrier group to the Middle East.
President Donald Trump threatened attacks after Tehran’s crackdown on anti-government protests, but seemed to back away. Now, though, the USS Abraham Lincoln and its escorts, along with land-based fighter-bombers, are in the region, and US forces are conducting military exercises; Trump said the “beautiful armada” should encourage Iran to “make a deal.”
Saudi Arabia and the UAE, two key US regional allies, ruled out the use of their airspace or territory, making any attacks more complicated, although not impossible. Estimates of the number killed by the Iranian regime in the recent protests range from 6,000 to more than 30,000.