Iran-US latest: Tehran tells Trump ‘it will respond like never before’ after president’s ‘armada’ threats

Iran has been gripped since late December by nationwide protests and demonstrations that were sparked by the Islamic Republic’s ailing economy.

They have been putting new pressure on the theocracy that runs Iran and which has, in turn, responded with a deadly crackdown and shutting down the internet.

Rights groups say the overall death toll from the crackdown rose to at least 5,032 people, with more than 27,600 detained in a widening arrest campaign. The official Iranian death toll is far lower — only 3,117 dead.

Iranian officials signalled last week that suspects detained in the protests would face fast trials and executions while also promising a “decisive response” if the US or Israel intervened.

The US navy calls it the “largest warship in the world”.

At 333m and with a displacement of 104,300 long tons, the USS Abraham Lincoln is a formidable vessel, currently heading for Iran.

An aircraft carrier, it is able to station 65 aircraft and multiple missile mounts, and can haul around 100,000 tones of equipment.

Its squadrons include the F-35 Lightning II fighter jet and the F/A-18 Super Hornet fighter jets.

The ship can travel at up to 35 knots and hosts a crew of around 5,600 people.

Donald Trump said on Wednesday that “a massive Armada is heading to Iran”.

We learned on Monday that the USS Abraham Lincoln carrier strike group had arrived in Centcom’s area of operations, bolstering Donald Trump’s range of actions.

Last Thursday, Trump said: “We have an armada … heading in that direction, and maybe we won’t have to use it.”

The Nimitz-class nuclear-powered aircraft carrier USS Abraham Lincoln (CVN-72) is joined by the Arleigh Burke-class destroyers USS Frank E Petersen, Jr (DDG-121), USS Spruance (DDG-111) and USS Michael Murphy (DDG-112).

The total number of confirmed deaths in the recent protests in Iran has reached 6,221, while 42,324 arrests have been made.

According to the latest data from US-based Human Rights Activists News Agency (HRANA), 5,858 of those confirmed dead were protestors, 100 were children, 214 were forces affiliated with the government, and 49 were non-protester civilians.

The number of severely injured individuals stands at 11,017 and another 11,026 people have been summoned to security institutions.

The group has reported that 17,091 deaths are still under investigation.

The European Union could be set to include Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) on its list of terrorist organisations.

It follows France’s U-turn on Wednesday, which saw its foreign minister come out in support of the move, despite the country previously being reluctant to do so.

EU foreign ministers were already due to meet in Brussels on Thursday, and with France, Italy and Germany’s support, the decision is likely to be approved politically.

France’s Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot said: “France will support the designation of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps on the European Union’s list of terrorist organisations.”

Roberta Metsola, president of the European Parliament, said: “This week, Europe has a historic opportunity, and duty, to finally designate the Iranian regime’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) as a terrorist organisation.

“This is more than symbolic. This matters.”

US forces will carry out multi-day exercises in the Middle East, it was announced this week, ahead of Trump’s threat to Iran.

The Ninth Air Force will be carrying out drills to “demonstrate the ability to deploy, disperse, and sustain combat airpower across the U.S. Central Command area of responsibility”, a statement read.

The statement did not say when the exercises would start.

“This exercise reinforces peace through strength by fielding a credible, combat-ready, and responsible presence designed to deter aggression, reduce the risk of miscalculation and assure partners.”

As the number of citizens raising their voice against the regime continues to grow in the ongoing Iranian national revolution, numerous reports reaching Independent Persian from cities across Iran point to an unprecedented deterioration in the treatment and condition of detainees.

These accounts detail widespread torture, deaths in custody and the covert transfer of bodies to morgues – events that recall the darkest chapters of repression in the history of the Islamic republic since 1979.

In Isfahan, several political and human rights activists told Independent Persian that a number of detainees from the current uprising are being held in a warehouse near Dastgerd Prison that lacks basic facilities. The location reportedly lacks even basic sanitation and has no access to medical care.

Read the full harrowing report here:

Iran’s foreign minister Abbas Araqchi said that Iran was in contact with international mediators over the crisis, but not currently in contact with US special envoy Steve Witkoff.

He said he was not currently requesting negotiations either, state media reported on Wednesday.

A source with the Turkish foreign ministry said that minister Hakan Fidan had spoken with his Iranian counterpart by phone to discuss efforts to ease regional tensions on Wednesday.

Iran’s mission to the UN said today that Iran stands ready for dialogue.

The USS Abraham Lincoln, deemed the “largest warship in the world”, is leading an “armada” currently headed towards Iran. 

The nuclear-powered aircraft carrier is 333 meters long and is capable of stationing 65 aircraft, as well as multiple missile mounts. 

The ship can travel at up to 35 knots and move 100,000 tons of equipment, while hosting a crew of around 5,600 people.

It is one of 10 Nimitz-class aircraft carriers, which support and operate aircraft that engage in attacks on airborne, afloat, and ashore targets, the US Navy said.

In a post on social media on Monday, the United States Central Command said: “The Abraham Lincoln Carrier Strike Group is currently deployed to the Middle East to promote regional security and stability.”