United States President Donald Trump has said that a large US naval force is heading towards the Gulf region as Washington continues to closely monitor Iran amid growing tensions.

Trump said the United States had a “big force” moving in Iran’s direction. He said the deployment was meant as a precaution and added that he would prefer to avoid any military action, but stated that Iran was being watched very closely.

US officials, speaking on condition of anonymity, said the aircraft carrier USS Abraham Lincoln and its carrier strike group have been redirected from exercises in the South China Sea to the Middle East.

The officials said the vessels, along with several guided-missile destroyers, are expected to arrive in the region in the coming days.

Additional air defence systems are also being considered to strengthen the protection of US forces and bases in the Middle East.

Trump said the naval movement was intended to deter Iran and that the force might not need to be used. He described the deployment as a large “armada”, while repeating that he hoped the situation would not escalate.

The announcement comes after Trump last week appeared to step back from earlier threats of military action against Iran. At the time, the White House said Tehran had given assurances that it would not carry out executions of protesters detained during recent anti-government demonstrations.

Trump has since repeated claims that his warnings stopped more than 800 planned executions. Iranian officials have denied that such executions were planned.

This week, Iran released its first official death toll from the protests that began in late December, saying 3,117 people were killed, including civilians and members of the security forces. Rights groups have said the actual number could be higher.

In an interview with a US broadcaster in Davos, Trump said the United States would act again if Iran restarted its nuclear programme.

He referred to US air strikes on Iran’s nuclear facilities in June 2025, when Washington joined Israel in a 12-day conflict targeting Iran’s nuclear and ballistic missile capabilities.

US officials have said a similar military buildup was ordered ahead of those June strikes and later stated that it helped keep Washington’s intentions secret.

Reference: Aljazeera