“We have a lot of ships heading in that direction, just in case… I wouldn’t want anything to happen, but we’re watching them very closely,” Trump said.
He described the U.S. forces moving toward Iran as an “armada,” while suggesting Washington might ultimately not need to use it.
Trump also claimed that he personally intervened to stop Iran from executing nearly 840 detained protesters.
“I said: If you hang these people, you’re going to get hit harder than anything you’ve ever been hit with," he said adding that Tehran allegedly canceled the executions just one hour before they were scheduled to take place.
"What we did to your nuclear program will look like peanuts."
Anonymous U.S. officials told Reuters that the aircraft carrier USS Abraham Lincoln and several missile destroyers are expected to arrive in the Middle East in the coming days. One official said the U.S. is also considering deploying additional air defense systems in the region to protect the U.S. bases.
Protests in Iran began on Dec. 28, 2025, sparked by economic hardship, and quickly escalated into nationwide demonstrations.
The U.S.-based human rights group HRANA said at least 4,519 people have been killed during the protests and clashes with security forces.
On Jan. 13, 2026, Trump publicly urged Iranians to continue protesting and seize government institutions, saying that assistance was “already on the way.”
Media reports have suggested that U.S. intervention in Iran may be imminent. According to AFP, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, and Oman have led efforts to dissuade Trump from attacking Iran, warning of “serious consequences for the region.”
On Jan. 16, Trump said Iran canceled more than 800 planned executions of protest participants. The same day, human rights groups reported that protests were subsiding following a brutal crackdown, although Reza Pahlavi, the son of Iran’s last shah, disputed those claims and urged Trump to intervene.