IRGC Has ‘Finger On The Trigger’ As US Carrier Strike Group Enters Waters Near Iran

The US Navy’s aircraft carrier strike group USS Abraham Lincoln has arrived in the Middle East, this week entering CENTCOM waters in the Indian Ocean, and is awaiting orders

Fox correspondent Jennifer Griffin cites a senior American official who said the carrier is not yet on station for any possible future strikes against Iran, however.

The same outlet has further reported, “U.S. officials say Washington is reinforcing its military posture in response to growing instability inside Iran, boosting its presence by air, land and sea, while closely monitoring developments in Syria.”

“A squadron of F-15 fighter jets has deployed to the region, and C-17 aircraft carrying heavy equipment have arrived,” Fox adds.

This all comes after President Trump’s apparent climb-down after threatening military intervention against Tehran in the wake of large deadly protests which rocked the Islamic Republic early this month, amid an internet blackout.

But Trump has put Iran on notice, despite that Iranian streets have been clear of unrest for well over a week at this point. He said on Thursday he has ordered a “massive fleet” to be sent toward Iran “just in case” he wants to take action – although he underscored that “maybe we won’t have to use it.” 

Just in terms of the strike group, this includes the following advanced assets:

The strike group is comprised of the Lincoln, an aircraft carrier, and three guided missile destroyers: the USS Frank E. Petersen, Jr., the USS Spruance and the USS Michael Murphy. On board the Lincoln are squadrons of F/A-18E/F Super Hornets, EA-18G Growlers, F-35C fighter jets and MH-60R/S helicopters.

The naval force was not necessarily “on station” as of Monday morning Eastern Time, meaning it was not in its intended ultimate position.

This is being taken seriously by Tehran leaders given the month kicked off with a shock US military intervention in Caracas – which was actually among Iran’s few Latin American allies – to overthrow longtime socialist leader Nicolás Maduro.

State affiliated Nournews, which is close to Iran’s Supreme National Security Council, reported on its Telegram channel that Gen. Mohammad Pakpour, commander of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), warned the US and Israel “to avoid any miscalculation.“

“The Islamic Revolutionary Guards and dear Iran stand more ready than ever, finger on the trigger, to execute the orders and directives of the Commander-in-Chief,” Pakpour stated.

LATEST: Map shows the scale of the U.S. military buildup around Iran.

Fighter jets, tankers, AWACS, and carrier air wings positioned across Europe and the Middle East.

Source: DefenceGeek pic.twitter.com/PbDV6O62aD

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Iran’s military capability is nowhere close to being on par with the US; however, it does have a feared and sophisticated ballistic missile program, and has mass quantities of drones, which could threaten a carrier group through potential ‘drone swarm’ attacks, aimed at overwhelming naval defenses.

Cameron Chell, CEO and co-founder of drone technology firm Draganfly, has been widely quoted in various media outlets this week as explaining, “If hundreds are launched in a short period of time, some are almost certain to get through,” and added: “These drones give Iran a very credible way to threaten surface vessels.”