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Handout via Reuters
The fleet is headed by aircraft carrier USS Abraham Lincoln (file image)
Donald Trump has warned Iran that "time is running out" to negotiate a deal on its nuclear programme following the steady build-up of US military forces in the Gulf.
The US president said a "massive Armada" was "moving quickly, with great power, enthusiasm, and purpose" towards Iran in a post on his Truth Social platform.
In response, Iran's mission to the UN said Tehran "stands ready for dialogue based on mutual respect and interests", but if pushed, it wrote in all capitals, it will defended itself and "respond like never before".
Trump had previously said he would "rescue" protesters involved in the brutal and unprecedented crackdown on demonstrations in Iran earlier this month.
The US-based Human Rights Activists News Agency (HRANA) says it has confirmed the killing of nearly 6,000 people, including 5,633 protesters, since the unrest began at the end of December.
It says it is also currently investigating another 17,000 reported deaths received despite an internet shutdown after nearly three weeks.
Another group, the Norway-based Iran Human Rights (IHR), has warned that the final toll could exceed 25,000.
"Hopefully Iran will quickly 'Come to the Table' and negotiate a fair and equitable deal - NO NUCLEAR WEAPONS," Trump wrote.
Iran insists its nuclear programme is entirely peaceful and has repeatedly denied seeking to develop nuclear weapons.
Trump added that this force was "ready, willing, and able to rapidly fulfil its mission, with speed and violence, if necessary".
Referring to the US strikes on key Iranian nuclear sites - launched during Israel's 12-day war with Israel last year - Trump warned: "The next attack will be far worse! Don't make that happen again."
Earlier on Wednesday, Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said: "Conducting diplomacy through military threat cannot be effective or useful."
"If they [the US] want negotiations to take shape, they must certainly set aside threats, excessive demands and raising illogical issues," he said in televised remarks, translated by the AFP news agency.
Using open-source tools, BBC Verify has been able to track some of the US deployments to the area. A US defence official confirmed to BBC Verify that a naval "armada" led by the USS Abraham Lincoln had also arrived in the Middle East.
In June 2025, US strikes targeted three uranium enrichment facilities in Iran: Fordo, Natanz and Isfahan.
American officials then said the operation - codename "Midnight Hammer" - had significantly set back the prospect of Tehran building a nuclear weapon.
