At least one US aircraft carrier is being deployed toward the Middle East as tensions with Iran continue to escalate, military sources told Fox News on Thursday.
It remains unclear whether the carrier is the USS Abraham Lincoln, currently operating in the South China Sea, or one of two carriers that left Norfolk and San Diego earlier this week. Transit to the region is expected to take at least a week.
According to the sources, US military assets from air, land and sea are expected to move into the region in the coming days and weeks to give the President a range of military options should he choose to launch strikes against Iran. Officials described the deployments as part of a broader process of "setting the force."
A well‑placed source said that if the President orders military action, "This will be different, more offensive." The source added that US military planners are preparing multiple options depending on how Iran’s regime behaves in the coming days.
Missile defense systems are also expected to be sent to the region to strengthen protection for US bases and Israel. These would include additional missile defense assets, according to the report.
The Pentagon did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital’s request for comment.
While at one point on Wednesday, tensions seemed to be at their highest and US action in Iran seemed imminent, matters later calmed as Trump claimed that the killing of protesters had ceased.
"We have been notified pretty strongly that the killing in Iran is stopping, and there's no plan for executions or an execution," Trump told reporters in the Oval Office.
He noted that "I've been told that in good authority. We'll find out about it, I'm sure. If it happens, we'll be very upset."
On Thursday morning, the Iranian regime reopened its airspace, which it had closed several hours prior. The regime also announced that it would not execute Erfan Soltani, a 26-year-old man who was arrested during the recent protests in the country and became a symbol for the demonstrators.