President Donald Trump ordered the USS Abraham Lincoln carrier strike group to redirect from the South China Sea toward the Middle East starting January 19, 2026, when it transited the Malacca Strait after routine Indo-Pacific operations.
The Nimitz-class carrier, carrying Carrier Air Wing 9 with F-35C and F/A-18 jets, flanked by destroyers USS Frank E. Petersen Jr., USS Spruance, and USS Michael Murphy, reached U.S. Central Command waters by January 26 and entered the Indian Ocean vicinity of Iran by January 29 amid escalating tanker seizures in the Strait of Hormuz. Pentagon officials confirmed the move bolsters operations against Iran-backed Houthi threats in Yemen and deters Tehran's aggression, marking Trump's first major naval redeployment since inauguration.
Iran's Response: Tehran dismissed the deployment as "psychological warfare" on January 28, with Foreign Ministry spokesman Nasser Kanaani warning it would "accelerate regional instability" and vowing defensive readiness without specifying actions. Regional allies hailed the presence as vital against Iran's oil transit disruptions.
