President Donald Trump said on Friday that the United States has an “armada” heading toward Iran but expressed hope it would not have to be used, as tensions rise following Iran’s crackdown on nationwide protests and concerns over its nuclear program.
“The U.S. has a lot of ships heading towards Iran,” Trump told reporters aboard Air Force One, adding that he “hopes we don’t have to use them.” U.S. officials, speaking on condition of anonymity, said the aircraft carrier USS Abraham Lincoln and several guided-missile destroyers are en route to the Middle East, accompanied by additional air-defense systems to guard U.S. bases in the region.
President Trump on Greenland: "We're watching Iran. We have a lot of ships going that direction just in case… We have a massive fleet heading in that direction, and maybe we won't have to use it. We'll see."
— One America News (@OANN) January 23, 2026
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Trump warned that the United States would act if Tehran resumed its nuclear program following last year’s U.S. strikes on Iranian nuclear sites. “If they try to do it again, they have to go to another area. We’ll hit them there too, just as easily,” he said.
In response to the U.S. military movements, Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei reportedly relocated to a fortified underground bunker in Tehran, according to the opposition-linked outlet Iran International. The report said Khamenei moved after advisers assessed that the risk of a U.S. strike had increased. His third son, Masoud Khamenei, has assumed responsibility for managing his father’s daily affairs and acts as a main channel of communication with Iran’s executive branches.
Iranian officials have denied that Khamenei is in hiding. Iran’s consul general to India told Indian media that the supreme leader is under normal security arrangements.
A senior Iranian official warned that any U.S. attack would be treated “as an all-out war against us,” echoing repeated statements from other Iranian leaders. Iran’s Students News Agency cited the parliamentary national security commission, reporting that an attack on Khamenei would trigger a declaration of jihad. Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian also said a strike on the supreme leader would be “tantamount to all-out war against the Iranian nation.”
The current surge in U.S. military presence follows months of nationwide unrest in Iran, which began on December 28 with demonstrations in Tehran’s Grand Bazaar over economic hardship and quickly spread. Human rights groups report more than 5,000 deaths linked to the protests, though figures remain uncertain. The U.S. Treasury Department announced additional sanctions against Iran on Friday in response to the crackdown.
