Trump threatens Iran strike and deploys USS Abraham Lincoln to Persian Gulf

President Trump posted on Truth Social on Jan. 28, 2026 warning Iran that a military strike "far worse" than Operation Midnight Hammer would follow if Tehran refused nuclear deal negotiations. The USS Abraham Lincoln Carrier Strike Group — carrying F-35C fighters, F/A-18 Super Hornets, and three guided-missile destroyers — had entered Central Command waters two days earlier on Jan. 26. Trump described a "massive Armada" ready to "rapidly fulfil its mission, with speed and violence, if necessary." Iran's UN mission warned it would "respond like never before" if attacked.