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January 16, 2026

Pentagon Orders Carrier Strike Group to Middle East as Trump Threatens to Attack Iran
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The Pentagon said Thursday it's moving a carrier strike group toward the
Middle East, as the Trump administration continues to threaten
airstrikes against Iran. The USS Abraham Lincoln and accompanying
warships and aircraft are currently in the Indo-Pacific region and
should take about a week to reposition. On Thursday, the White House
said "all options remain on the table," as it announced new sanctions
against Iran, citing the ongoing crackdown on anti-government protesters
- this as the head of Israel's Mossad intelligence service, David
Barnea, is in the United States with plans to meet Trump's Mideast envoy
Steve Witkoff in Miami. At the United Nations, Iran's deputy U.N.
ambassador said any attack would be a violation of the U.N. Charter, and
said his nation was prepared to fight back.

Gholamhossein Darzi: "Iran seeks neither escalation nor confrontation.
However, any act of aggression, direct or indirect, will be met with a
decisive, proportionate and lawful response."



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