The US President made the alarming comments during a speech to supporters in Clive, Iowa (Image: Getty)
Donald Trump has reminded the world how close we all are to global war after declaring a “beautiful armada” is currently heading towards Iran.
The US President made the alarming comments during a speech to supporters in Clive, Iowa on Tuesday, as he attempted to shift focus to “affordability” while facing mounting criticism over his controversial immigration policies.
However, his supporters became most electrified when Trump told the crowd a major military force was en route to the Middle East, ramping up pressure on Tehran to meet American demands.
President warns Iran to ‘make a deal’
“By the way, there’s another beautiful armada floating beautifully toward Iran right now,” he said in the speech which was broadcast live. “So we’ll see. I hope they make a deal, I hope they make a deal. They should have made a deal the first time, they’d have a country.”
The President also claimed he had “obliterated” Iran’s nuclear capabilities through strikes on multiple facilities last June. Questions remain over how significantly the attacks – which were unprovoked and potentially violated international law – damaged Iran’s nuclear programme.
“People have been waiting for 22 years to do that,” Trump said about the bombing campaign.
Read more: Iran nuclear site rocked by ‘explosion’ as Trump sparks WW3 fears in Middle East
Read more: Iran sends terrifying messing as US ‘armada’ nears and WW3 fears rise
Trump abandoned previous nuclear agreement
During his first presidency, Trump scrapped an existing agreement that placed restrictions on Iran’s nuclear activities, instead pursuing a “maximum pressure” strategy designed to cripple the country’s economy through harsh sanctions.
Earlier on Tuesday, unconfirmed reports were made stating a military site in Iran was hit by a suspected explosion as it emerged Trump has been considering launching strikes against the Islamic Republic.
Iran has delivered a series of threatening messages to the United States as American naval forces moved into the Middle East. The country’s foreign ministry promised a “comprehensive and regret-inducing response” should Washington launch military action against Iran.
A billboard has appeared in Tehran’s Islamic Resolution square displaying an image of an American aircraft carrier with wrecked fighter jets on its deck.
The message, written in both Farsi and English, states: “If you sow the wind, you will reap the whirlwind.”
US carrier strike group arrives in region
Last week, Trump announced his “armada” was heading to the Middle East as he threatened military intervention following the deaths of peaceful demonstrators and Tehran’s wave of mass executions after the protests. Iran’s violent suppression of nationwide demonstrations has resulted in at least 6,126 deaths, with campaigners fearing many more victims remain unaccounted for.
The USS Abraham Lincoln aircraft carrier, accompanied by guided missile destroyers, reached the area on Monday.
The deployment brings thousands more American military personnel to the region, which hasn’t hosted a US carrier since the USS Gerald R. Ford was redirected to the Caribbean in October as part of efforts to pressure then-Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro.
Trump told journalists last week the vessels were dispatched “just in case”, adding: “We have a massive fleet heading in that direction, and maybe we won’t have to use it.”
The US-based Human Rights Activists News Agency said it has identified the dead in the protests as including at least 5,777 protesters, 214 government-affiliated forces, 86 children and 49 civilians who weren’t demonstrating.