The US transfers air defense systems, missile systems, and the Lincoln aircraft carrier to Iran amid protests against Iranian authorities

The United States has deployed Patriot anti-aircraft missile systems, THAAD missile defense systems, and the Abraham Lincoln aircraft carrier in the Middle East near Iran.

This is what The Economist writes about.

The transfer of forces also affected combat aviation. Several F-15E fighters arrived from British bases. C-17A Globemaster III military transport aircraft delivered cargo from Robert Gray Airfield, associated with the 62nd Air Defense Artillery Regiment at Fort Cavasos.

The US Navy said on social media on January 26 that sailors aboard the aircraft carrier Abraham Lincoln were conducting routine maintenance while underway in the Indian Ocean. They said they had deployed an aircraft carrier strike group to the Middle East.

Also, over the course of three days, the pilots made six flights to Ali al Salem Air Base in Kuwait and another one to Prince Sultan Air Base in Saudi Arabia.

The Economist analysts also note that on January 24, the commander of US Central Command, General Brad Cooper, visited Israel for consultations, which may indicate coordination of scenarios for possible actions.

According to The Economist, there is a growing belief in the Gulf states that a US strike could target not only military targets but also Iranʼs political leadership. Tehran has warned that any US attack would be seen as a full-scale war.

However, according to The Economist, the US President Donald Trump has probably not yet made a final decision on a possible strike. NBS News, citing sources, wrote that this could be due to Trumpʼs advisers, who cannot guarantee that the Iranian regime will quickly fall after a strike.

Instead, Trump wants a “quick and decisive strike”, not an operation that will take weeks or months. Meanwhile, Iran International, citing sources, wrote on January 25 that Iran’s Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei had taken refuge in an underground bunker in Tehran due to fears of a possible US attack. His son Massoud Khamenei has taken over as head of the country.

• Protests in Iran began in late December 2025 and are still ongoing — initially people took to the streets because of the collapse of the currency, rising prices, and falling incomes, and then the demands broadened. People are demanding political change, the resignation of the leadership, the release of political prisoners, and greater freedom, including rights for women.
• The Iranian authorities have been suppressing protests by using water cannons and tear gas, as well as firing live ammunition at demonstrators, mass arrests, internet shutdowns, and surveillance technology.
• According to the human rights organization HRANA, by the 30th day of protests, which fell on January 26, almost 6 126 protesters had been killed, including 86 children under the age of 18.

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