A massive US aircraft carrier armada has arrived near Iran's border in the Middle East. The Abraham Lincoln carrier, which carries dozens of warplanes, is in the area.

Following this, three other advanced destroyers have reached the western Indian Ocean, US military officials said. US Central Command (CENTCOM) officials said the ship will approach Iran even closer. They said the armada will be deployed to the Gulf of Oman or the eastern Arabian Sea in the coming days. Earlier this month, US President Donald Trump warned of military intervention in Iran. He also threatened the Iranian government not to crack down on protesters. "Iranian nationalists, continue your movement. Help is on the way," he wrote on the social network Truth Social on January 12. Trump, who had planned to attack Iran at the time, backed down from his previous plan after consulting with his advisers, the Washington Post reported. Trump hesitated at the time after advisers advised that an Iranian counterattack would be difficult to manage. US allies Saudi Arabia, Oman and Qatar also advised against attacking, saying that the fighting would destabilize the Middle East.

Since then, the US has been silent on Iran for some time. However, on Thursday, Trump said that the US armada was heading towards Iran. “But I hope it will not have to be used,” he said. He also warned Iran again not to suppress the protesters and not to start its nuclear program.

“We are watching Iran. Our large military is moving towards Iran,” Trump said. More than a week ago, the US aircraft carrier ‘Abraham Lincoln’ diverted from the South China Sea and headed towards the Middle East. The armada entered the Indian Ocean through the Strait of Malacca. It includes dozens of fighter jets, about 5,000 sailors and an Arleigh Burke-class destroyer armed with Tomahawk cruise missiles. The three destroyers following it have dozens of missiles. It is also equipped with an air defense system.

We are ready for a counterattack: Iran

Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmaili Baghai said

Iran is ready for the worst. “This is a military build-up. We hope it is not for a real war. But we are ready for the worst,” he said.

He said that any attack by the US would be met with a strong response. Recalling the 12-day war in June, he said Iran

had acted responsibly.

‘Iran has tried to respond very calmly, responsibly and controlledly against Israel and the US,’ he said. ‘This time, if there is an attack on us, we will respond as harshly as possible.’

Talks are possible if conditions are met: US

The US has also said that the door to talks is open. ‘They want to talk. I know. They have said this many times,’ Trump told the American media outlet Axios on Monday. He was briefed on Iran by US defense officials on Monday. Defense officials have concluded that Iran has weakened. ‘If they want to talk to us and they agree to the conditions, we are ready to talk,’ a US official said. The official said the US had set its conditions for talks with Iran last year. A US State Department spokesman said Iran must stop its ballistic missile program and stop its covert cooperation in the Middle East. “For decades, the Iranian government has neglected its economy, agriculture, water and electricity. It has invested vast sums of money in supporting terrorist groups and researching nuclear weapons,” a US State Department spokesman said.

Month-long protests Iran has been gripped by anti-government protests for the past month. Retailers began a protest on December 28 by closing shops to protest rising prices and inflation. Since then, the movement has drawn together ordinary people, students and religious groups. They have demanded the resignation of Supreme Leader Ayatollah Khamenei and the Iranian government. The government has been cracking down on the protests. Iran has been under an internet ban for nearly two weeks. As a result, it is difficult to confirm the exact number of people killed in the protests. On January 21, Iran's state media Press TV reported that 3,117 people had died in the protests. This is the first time that Iranian state media has released a death toll. However, the number released by watchdogs and human rights activists is much higher. The US-based Human Rights Watch (HRW) reported that at least 5,848 people had died. Iran International, a Persian-language media outlet based in London, has claimed that more than 36,000 people have been killed in the protests. (With the help of the agency)