(NewsNation) — The Pentagon is moving a carrier strike group from the South China Sea to the U.S. Central Command area of responsibility, which includes the Middle East, as tensions escalate between the Trump administration and Iran, NewsNation has learned.
Moving the carrier strike group — a naval formation centering around an aircraft carrier, with a variety of other vessels, including at least one attack submarine — is expected to take about a week, a source said. The USS Abraham Lincoln reportedly is the aircraft carrier that is on the move.
This significant transfer of American military hardware comes amid developments related to unrest in Iran and questions about whether the White House will offer support to protesters who recently have challenged Iran’s autocratic regime.
The U.S. Central Command’s “area of responsibility” covers over 4 million square miles, spanning Northeast Africa, the Middle East, Central Asia and South Asia, and encompasses 21 countries such as Egypt, Iraq, Afghanistan, Iran and Pakistan.
Warnings, advisories as US-Iran tension escalates
Iran on Wednesday issued a “Notice to Air Missions,” or NOTAM, that flights in and out of Tehran have been restricted.
Some personnel at a key U.S. military base in Qatar were advised to evacuate by Wednesday evening, according to a U.S. official and the Gulf country. Meantime, the United Kingdom has advised against all but essential travel to Israel, a U.S. ally that exchanged missile strikes with Iran last year.
Protests have snowballed in Iran since late December because of declining economic conditions in the outcast nation. More than 2,500 individuals killed, according to the Human Rights Activists News Agency.
Trump, who recently authorized a U.S. military action in Venezuela, has suggested repeatedly his administration will come to the aid of Iranian protesters. On Wednesday, however, the president claimed Tehran had backed off its deadly crackdown on demonstrators while seeking to negotiate with Washington.
Iranian state TV on Wednesday appeared to warn Trump against interfering with the country, saying “this time” the bullet “won’t miss” as it showed a picture of then-presidential candidate Donald Trump emerging from an assassination attempt at a Butler, Pennsylvania, campaign rally in July 2024.
Trump has downplayed threats from Iran.
GOP senator meets with exiled crown prince of Iran
Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., a staunch Trump ally who has advocated for the U.S. to influence regime change in Iran, met Wednesday with Reza Pahlavi, the exiled crown prince of Iran.
“I believe with all my heart that help is on the way,” Graham, seated next to Pahlavi, said in a video posted to the social media platform X.
Trump, speaking Wednesday about Pahlavi, told Reuters he’s not sure the royal would be the person to take the reins in Iran.
“He seems very nice, but I don’t know how he’d play within his own country,” the president. “And we really aren’t up to that point yet.”
US embassy in DOHA advises increased caution
The State Department issued a security alert advising additional precautions for staff or U.S. residents in Qatar.
“Given ongoing regional tensions, the U.S. Embassy in Doha has advised its personnel to exercise increased caution and limit non-essential travel to Al Udeid Airbase. We recommend U.S. citizens in Qatar do the same. The U.S. Mission to Qatar continues to monitor the situation,” officials said on social media.