Iran is on high alert over a possible US attack after President Donald Trump revealed that “another beautiful armada” is heading to the Middle East, as claims emerge that the regime has massacred 30,000 protesters. Clearly displaying their air power the USS Abraham Lincoln aircraft-carrier group entered the Central Command’s zone of responsibility on Monday.

At a speech at an event in Iowa, President Trump hailed the arrival of US forces: “By the way, there’s another beautiful armada floating beautifully toward Iran right now. “So, we’ll see,” Trump told Axios on Monday that the situation in Iran was “in flux,” and that the American military presence in the waters near Iran was bigger than the one he had deployed near Venezuela.

“We have a big armada next to Iran. Bigger than Venezuela,” he said.

In a notice issued Tuesday, private security firm Ambrey said the US has positioned sufficient forces to launch strikes against Iran while still being able to defend itself and its regional allies from retaliation.

Ambrey assessed that punitive action tied to Iranian protests alone would be an inadequate justification for sustained conflict, but said objectives such as degrading Iran’s military capabilities could increase the likelihood of limited US involvement.

A senior Iranian official warned that any attack would be treated as “all-out war,” pledging a response to any violation of Iran’s sovereignty.

The deployment of the USS Abraham Lincoln and its escorting destroyers provides the US with the ability to strike Iran, even as Gulf Arab states hosting American troops signal they want to remain outside any conflict.

Two Iranian-backed militias have also indicated they may launch new attacks, apparently backing Tehran after Trump warned of military action over the killing of protesters or possible mass executions.

Air Forces Central, the air component of the US Central Command (CENTCOM), said on Tuesday January 27 that it would hold a “multi-day readiness exercise to demonstrate the ability to deploy, disperse and sustain combat airpower across the US Central Command area of responsibility”.

The exercise was “designed to enhance asset and personnel dispersal capability, strengthen regional partnerships and prepare for flexible response execution”, Air Forces Central added in a statement.