Iran USA moves aircraft carrier to the Middle East, according to the media
Following US President Donald Trump's threats against Iran, the US is increasing its military presence in the Middle East, according to media reports.
16.01.2026, 03:55
SDA
The aircraft carrier "USS Abraham Lincoln" and escort ships are on their way from the South China Sea to the region, reported the "New York Times" and the portal "Axios", among others.
The aircraft carrier, which is powered by a nuclear reactor, normally transports several thousand soldiers and dozens of fighter planes and is accompanied by Navy destroyers. The "USS Abraham Lincoln" is scheduled to arrive in the Middle East in about a week. Additional weapons and defense equipment will also be brought there, reported the New York Times. Further combat aircraft could also follow. There was initially no official confirmation of the transfer from the Pentagon.
Since the beginning of the mass protests against the Islamic Republic's authoritarian system of rule at the end of December, Trump has already threatened Iran with US intervention on several occasions. The protests were triggered by a dramatic economic crisis, a very high inflation rate and great dissatisfaction with the leadership in Tehran, among other things. Iran's security apparatus brutally crushed the protests. Human rights activists speak of thousands of deaths.
UN calls for halt to planned executions
At a meeting of the UN Security Council in New York, the US ambassador to the UN, Mike Waltz, once again threatened Iran with military escalation. US President Donald Trump is "a man of action, not of endless words as we see at the UN", he said. "He has made it clear that all options are on the table to end the slaughter."
The Security Council meeting had been scheduled at the request of the USA. The body is the most powerful organ of the United Nations. Its task is to maintain international peace and security. However, the major powers of the USA, Russia and China often block each other there.
The United Nations called on Iran to halt any planned executions of demonstrators and to investigate all deaths independently and transparently. UN Secretary-General António Guterres called on all parties involved to exercise the greatest possible restraint, it said.
USA: 800 scheduled executions canceled
According to the White House, 800 scheduled executions have been canceled due to US pressure. Spokeswoman Karoline Leavitt did not specify the source of this information, which Trump is said to have received. The president had already said the previous day that he had been assured "by very important sources on the other side" that killings in Iran would stop. Trump had warned Tehran against executing participants in the protests.
However, the figure of allegedly 800 canceled executions cited by the White House seems unusually high. According to Amnesty International, 972 people were executed in Iran in the whole of 2024.
On Wednesday, a closure of Iranian airspace triggered speculation about a possible US airstrike. "Only President Trump knows what he's going to do" - and a very small group of advisers are familiar with his approaches, Leavitt said.
The website "Axios" reported that Trump is delaying a decision on a possible attack on Iran while the White House discusses it with allies, among others. Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu reportedly asked Trump to give the country more time to prepare for a possible Iranian retaliatory strike. The New York Times also wrote that Netanyahu had asked for a postponement of a US attack. Leavitt only confirmed a conversation between Netanyahu and Trump.
Switzerland summons Iranian ambassador
Meanwhile, Switzerland summoned the Iranian ambassador to Bern. The country expressed its "utmost concern" to him about the violence of the Iranian security forces and emphasized its firm rejection of any death penalties, the SDA news agency reported.
Meanwhile, Switzerland also wants to mediate in the tensions between the USA and Iran. The head of the International Security Division at the Foreign Ministry, Gabriel Lüchinger, spoke on the phone with the Secretary of Iran's Supreme National Security Council, Ali Larijani, as confirmed by the office. Switzerland represents the interests of the USA in Iran because the USA has not had a diplomatic representation there since 1980. Among other things, it maintains a section in Tehran that provides consular assistance to US citizens.
