The United States has deployed the aircraft carrier USS Abraham Lincoln and supporting warships to Middle Eastern waters amid tensions with Iran following its crackdown on anti-government demonstrations. Tensions between Washington and Tehran remain high following Iran's crackdown on protestors.
USS Abraham Lincoln has crossed into the Middle East, along with several guided-missile destroyers. The warships come under the Central Command of the US military, officials told Reuters.
US President Donald Trump threatened last week to step in in favour of the protestors, saying that the US had “an armada” moving towards Iran, but hoped he would not have to use it, as per Reuters.
What Is USS Abraham?
The USS Abraham Lincoln (CVN 72) is the fifth Nimitz-class aircraft carrier of the United States. Built by Northrop Grumman Shipbuilding, it was named in honour of the 16th US president and is the second ship in the US Navy to carry his name, Airpac Navy reported.
Homeported in San Diego, California, the USS Abraham has around 2,300 compartments, 600 tanks, catapults, combat systems, and various other systems. Weapons on board the USS Abraham Lincoln include two RIM-116 Rolling Airframe Missile short-range surface-to-air missile launchers, two Mk 57 Mod3 SeaSparrow surface-to-air missile launchers and three Phalanx Close-In Weapon Systems (CIWS).
The carrier is fitted with SLQ-25A Nixie torpedo countermeasures systems and an SLQ-32A(V)4 countermeasures suite. Two Westinghouse A4W class nuclear reactors power the four steam turbines that propel the Nimitz-class vessel. The USS Abraham can achieve a maximum speed of 30k.
At 1,092ft (332.8m) long, the vessel has a flight deck measuring 4.5 acres. The USS Abraham Lincoln can accommodate up to 5,680 people and carry 90 aircraft.
The vessel carries nine squadrons, consisting of an E-2 Hawkeye early-warning fixed wing, one EA-6B Prowler, two Super Hornet fighter bombers, two Hornet fighter bombers, one Greyhound logistical support aircraft, and two SH-60 Seahawk attack helicopters, as per Naval Technology.
What's Reason Behind US Deployment?
The United States has sent forces into the Middle East during times of heightened tensions in moves that were often defensive. However, the US military staged a major buildup ahead of strikes against Iran's nuclear program in June last year. In addition to the USS Abraham and warships, the Pentagon is also moving air-defence systems and fighter jets to the Middle East.
What Iran Said
Esmaeil Baghaei, a spokesperson for Iran's foreign ministry, warned of a "comprehensive and regret-inducing response to any aggression" on Monday. In an apparent reference to the USS Abraham, he stated, "The arrival of such a battleship is not going to affect Iran's determination and seriousness to defend the Iranian nation."
The anti-government protests in Iran, which started in late December, were driven by economic grievances, but turned into a mass movement against the sitting government. A US-based rights group said on Monday that almost 6,000 people had died in the protests suppressed by Iran's security forces, adding that the actual toll could be several times higher.
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