President Donald Trump and Vice President JD Vance. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci, File)
President Trump says US has a “massive fleet” en route to Iran, as Vice President Vance says military build-up intended to give US “options in case Iran does something stupid.”
By World Israel News Staff
The United States has a “massive fleet” steaming toward the Persian Gulf, President Donald Trump said last week, as Vice President JD Vance said the US is building up military assets in the region in case Iran does “something very stupid.”
On Friday, Vance spoke with Newsmax, telling the conservative outlet that President Trump has “a lot of cards he can play” regarding Iran, emphasizing that the administration is keeping all options on the table.
“I’m not going to reveal how he plays them. We just want to make sure that we have options. We have a lot of forces in the region. We have people who could be endangered.”
The US, Vance added, will “make sure we have people over there to protect our assets in that part of the world.”
The US has shipped additional missile defense systems, including THAAD and Patriot missile batteries, to the region, and has transferred several F-15 squadrons to the Middle East.
In addition, the Navy has dispatched the USS Abraham Lincoln, a Nimitz-class aircraft carrier, and its three-destroyer battle group to the Persian Gulf.
Vance said the buildup would enable the US to respond in the event that Iran does “something very stupid.”
The administration wants “to make sure if the Iranians, God forbid, did something very stupid, then we have the resources to respond to it.”
A day earlier, Trump told reporters on Air Force One that the US has a “massive fleet” moving towards the Middle East, while expressing hope that he would not “have to use it.”
“We have a lot of ships going in that direction, just in case. We have a big flotilla going in that direction. And we will see what happens. We have a big force…going towards Iran.”
“I would rather not see anything happen, but we are watching them very closely.”
“We have a massive fleet heading in that direction. And maybe we won’t have to use it. We’ll see.”
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