Donald Trump has ordered the USS Abraham Lincoln and destroyers to sail toward the Persian Gulf after Iranian leaders ordered a brutal crackdown on protesters across the country.
An Iranian flag flutters in front of the reactor building of the Bushehr nuclear power plant
The explosion reportedly happened at an Iranian nuclear site
A nuclear site in Iran has been rocked by a reported explosion as Donald Trump considers strikes on the country, sparking WW3 fears in the Middle East.
The unconfirmed blast happened as a US aircraft carrier group arrived in the Middle East amid reports Trump is considering launching strikes on Iran following the country’s brutal crackdown on protesters. The USS Abraham Lincoln aircraft carrier and destroyers armed with guided missiles have signalled to Gulf States the might of the US could be on full display just weeks after the capture of Venezuelan dictator Nicolas Maduro.
They arrived after the Parchin military complex reportedly exploded. The site was at the heart of Iran’s alleged development of nuclear weapons and was reportedly targeted in Israeli airstrikes back in June.
A photo of the USS Abraham Lincoln
The USS Abraham Lincoln has been deployed to the Persian Gulf
Donald Trump’s ‘armada’ nears Middle East amid reports USS Lincoln is in ‘striking distance’
Trump has again hinted he would be willing to order strikes on Iran after the regime killed protesters in Tehran. The demonstrations came months after the US launched strikes against Iran, dealing a severe blow to its nuclear programme and ability to support militias across the Middle East.
The US-based Human Rights Activists News Agency said the death toll from the crackdown could be about 6,126 people. It noted the dead include some 5,777 protesters, 214 government-linked forces, 86 children and 49 civilians who had not demonstrating.
Tehran authorities said the death toll was 3,117 and that 2,427 were civilians and security forces. The rest were labelled as “terrorists” by the Islamic Republic.
A photo of Trump
Trump has hinted he is willing to use force against Iran
Iran’s ambassador to the United Nations told a Security Council meeting yesterday that Trump’s threats of military force against Iran were “neither ambiguous nor misinterpreted.” Iran’s state media has attempted to claim agitators from abroad for fuelling the protests as the regime flounders in addressing the nation’s struggling economy that is suffering from inflation and international sanctions.
The protests were sparked following a fall in the country’s Rial currency. They quickly spread across the country and were met with a brutal crackdown.