The Pentagon has been sending U.S. military assets into the Middle East, including an aircraft carrier group and its thousands of troops. President Donald Trump has indicated he's maintaining the possibility of strikes on Iran amid the government’s crackdown on protests. He said Thursday that the “massive fleet” was heading that way “just in case.” Trump had threatened military action if Iran carried out mass executions of prisoners or killed peaceful demonstrators, but recently had backed away. The aircraft carrier USS Abraham Lincoln and three accompanying destroyers are en route, and the F-15E Strike Eagle fighter jet has a presence. Analysts of flight-tracking data also have noticed dozens of U.S. military cargo planes heading to the region.
