President Donald Trump has warned that a U.S. naval armada is being sent toward the Middle East amid the ongoing violent crackdown on protests in Iran.
Speaking to reporters aboard Air Force One on Thursday while returning from Davos, Switzerland, Trump said, “We have a big flotilla going in that direction and we’ll see what happens. I’d rather not see anything happen, but we’re watching them very closely.”
The announcement comes after Trump previously stepped back from threats of military action, citing assurances from Iran that it would not carry out planned executions of hundreds of protesters. Tehran has warned the U.S. and Israel—whose forces struck Iranian nuclear sites last year—against any interference in the unrest.
Despite earlier claims that executions were halted, human-rights groups report that the number of deaths in the crackdown is rising. The U.S.-based Human Rights Activist News Agency has verified 5,002 deaths since protests began in late December, with nearly 10,000 additional cases under review and more than 26,000 arrests recorded.
Mai Sato, the UN special rapporteur on human rights in Iran, said reports from doctors in the country suggest the death toll could be at least 20,000, though the figure has not been officially verified by the UN.
The nationwide protests, the largest challenge to Iran’s leadership in decades, were triggered by a currency collapse in Tehran and have spread across the country, with demonstrators demanding an end to Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei’s rule.
The escalating crisis continues to draw international attention as governments and rights groups closely monitor the situation.
