Trump Warns Iran As Reports Emerge Of Rising Death Toll From Protest Crackdown

U.S. President Donald Trump on Thursday renewed threats of military action against Iran, saying the United States has naval forces moving toward the region as reports of a rising death toll from a government crackdown on protests continue to emerge.

Speaking to reporters aboard Air Force One while returning to Washington from the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, Trump said the United States was closely monitoring developments in Iran.

“We have a massive fleet heading in that direction… and maybe we won’t have to use it,” Trump said. “We have a lot of ships heading in that direction, just in case.”

Trump added that while he hoped the situation would not escalate, the administration was watching Iran “very closely.”

The remarks revive earlier warnings issued by Trump amid widespread unrest in the Islamic Republic. In recent weeks, the U.S. president had voiced support for Iranian protesters, urging them to take over state institutions and claiming that “help is on its way.” Those tensions appeared to ease last week when Trump said he had received assurances from Tehran that the killing of protesters had stopped and that detained demonstrators would not be executed.

The Pentagon has not confirmed Trump’s comments regarding U.S. naval movements. However, the Associated Press reported that the aircraft carrier USS Abraham Lincoln, along with an accompanying strike group, is currently in the Indian Ocean en route to the Middle East after departing from the South China Sea.

Iranian authorities have not publicly responded to Trump’s latest remarks. Meanwhile, information about the scale of the crackdown remains difficult to verify, as Iran has imposed tight restrictions on media coverage and communications during the unrest.