Overview
- A Navy official confirmed the guided‑missile destroyer USS Delbert D. Black crossed into the Red Sea this week.
- U.S. presence in the region now stands at one aircraft carrier, six destroyers, and three littoral combat ships, according to reports citing an unnamed U.S. official.
- The Abraham Lincoln Carrier Strike Group is operating in the Arabian Sea with destroyers Frank E. Petersen Jr., Michael Murphy, and Spruance, while USS Canberra, USS Tulsa, and USS Santa Barbara patrol the Persian Gulf.
- President Donald Trump posted that a “massive armada” is heading toward Iran and warned that any follow‑on to prior strikes could be “far worse,” framing the buildup as leverage for a nuclear deal.
- Secretary of State and National Security Advisor Marco Rubio said a military operation is not being ruled out as forces increase, while Reuters reported Trump is weighing steps aimed at regime change as protests in Iran continue with HRANA reporting 4,519 deaths.