Washington, United States. A U.S. military aircraft carrier strike group and other assets will arrive in the Middle East in the coming days, two U.S. officials said on Thursday, as President Donald Trump voiced hopes of avoiding new military action against Iran.
U.S. military movements
U.S. warships including the aircraft carrier USS Abraham Lincoln, several destroyers and fighter aircraft began moving from the Asia-Pacific last week as tensions between Iran and the United States rose following a severe crackdown on protests across Iran in recent months.
One official said additional air defense systems were also being considered for the Middle East. The United States often increases troop levels in the region during heightened tensions, which experts note can be defensive in nature.
The U.S. military staged a major buildup last summer ahead of its June strikes against Iran’s nuclear program, and later said it kept its intention to strike secret.
Trump remarks on Iran
Trump had repeatedly threatened to intervene against Iran over the recent killings of protesters there, but protests dwindled last week and his rhetoric has eased. He has also focused on other geopolitical issues, including his pursuit of Greenland.
On Wednesday, Trump said he hoped there would not be further U.S. military action in Iran, but said the United States would act if Tehran resumed its nuclear program.
“They can’t do the nuclear,” Trump told CNBC in an interview in Davos, Switzerland, referring to major U.S. air strikes on Iran’s nuclear facilities in June 2025. “If they do it, it’s going to happen again.”
IAEA verification and uranium stock
It has been at least seven months since the U.N. nuclear watchdog, the International Atomic Energy Agency, last verified Iran’s stock of highly enriched uranium, though its guidance is that this should be done monthly.
Iran must file a report to the IAEA on what happened to the sites struck by the United States and nuclear material believed to have been there, including an estimated 440.9 kg of uranium enriched to up to 60% purity, close to the roughly 90% weapons-grade level. The amount would be sufficient, if enriched further, for 10 nuclear bombs, according to an IAEA yardstick.
Protests in Iran
It remains unclear whether protests in Iran could surge again. The protests began on December 28 as modest demonstrations in Tehran’s Grand Bazaar over economic hardship and quickly spread nationwide.
What developments will you be watching for next in U.S.-Iran tensions?
