Trump Warns Iran As 'Massive Armada' Heads Toward Region

President Donald Trump wrote on Truth Social that a "massive Armada" led by the aircraft carrier USS Abraham Lincoln has arrived in the Middle East and warned Iran that "time is running out" to negotiate a deal, officials said.

Trump compared the deployment to a recent U.S. naval operation near Venezuela and said the fleet was "ready, willing, and able" to use "speed and violence, if necessary," in a Truth Social post on Wednesday.

Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said he had not been in contact with U.S. special envoy Steve Witkoff and said negotiations "don't go along with threats," state media reported, marking conflicting accounts with U.S. officials who say Iran has sought talks.

A U.S. official told CBS News that the Abraham Lincoln Carrier Strike Group crossed into U.S. Central Command's area of responsibility, though the final deployment location remained unconfirmed, according to officials.

Analysts and regional diplomats warned the buildup risks escalating into broader conflict, and Iran's mission to the U.N. said Tehran would "defend itself" and retaliate if attacked, according to a statement that disputed U.S. threats.