The Pentagon on Thursday began moving a carrier strike group from the South China Sea toward the Middle East as tensions escalate between the Trump administration and Iran, according to images from satellite data company Copernicus.
NewsNation first reported the news and said the move is expected to take about a week.
Iran's leadership is trying to quell some of the worst domestic unrest the Islamic Republic has ever faced and deter President Donald Trump's repeated threats to intervene on behalf of anti-government protesters.
The protests started in response to declining economic conditions. Thousands are feared dead, according to the Human Rights Activists News Agency.
Trump on Wednesday said he's heard on "good authority" that the killing in Iran "is stopping."
"We have been told that the killing in Iran is stopping; it has stopped; it's stopping," he told reporters in the Oval Office Wednesday. "And there's no plan for executions or an execution or executions.
"So I've been told that on good authority. We'll find out about it," Trump added.
The president did not rule out potential U.S. military action, saying "we are going to watch what the process is" before noting that his administration had received a "very good statement" from Iran.
Trump on Tuesday vowed "very strong action" if Iran continued to execute protesters. He also urged Iranians to keep protesting and take over institutions, declaring "help is on the way."
Iran and its Western foes have both described the unrest, which began two weeks ago as demonstrations against dire economic conditions and rapidly escalated in recent days, as the most violent since the 1979 Islamic Revolution that installed Iran's system of Shiite clerical rule.
An Iranian official has said more than 2,000 people have died. A rights group put the toll at more than 2,600.
A U.S. Navy carrier strike group is built around an aircraft carrier and includes a mix of warships and support vessels that travel together as one combat force.
Typically, it features the carrier and its embarked air wing of fighter jets and helicopters escorted by guided-missile destroyers and sometimes cruisers that provide air and missile defense, anti-submarine protection, and long-range strike capability.
A carrier strike group may also operate with an attack submarine along with logistics ships that deliver fuel, ammunition, and supplies to keep the force on station for extended missions.
Reuters contributed to this report.
Solange Reyner ✉
Solange Reyner is a writer and editor for Newsmax. She has more than 15 years in the journalism industry reporting and covering news, sports and politics.
© 2026 Newsmax. All rights reserved.