As an American carrier strike group closes in on Iran, a new report said its leader is living in hiding.
U.S. Central Command said in a post on X that the carrier USS Abraham Lincoln and its support ships are “currently deployed to the Middle East to promote regional security and stability.”
Sailors aboard USS Abraham Lincoln (CVN 72) perform routine maintenance as the aircraft carrier sails in the Indian Ocean, Jan. 26. The Abraham Lincoln Carrier Strike Group is currently deployed to the Middle East to promote regional security and stability. pic.twitter.com/dkuN946hce
— U.S. Central Command (@CENTCOM) January 26, 2026
As the American armada approaches, Iranian Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei is now living in an underground shelter in Tehran, according to the website Iran International,
Khamenei moved after Iranian officials “assessed an increased risk of a potential US attack,” the site reported, citing sources it did not name.
The U.S. force is moving in amid new details that are emerging about the Iranian government’s crackdown on protesters earlier this month.
Iran International said the government used chemical weapons on protesters the caused breathing difficulties.
“What was fired was not tear gas,” one protester said.
“People collapsed,” another said.
Iranian officials have unofficially said up to 30,000 people may have been killed in the crackdown, according to Time.
The government has officially admitted to killing 3,117 people, while a human rights group put the death toll at 5,459 deaths, with 17,031 deaths under investigation.
Before the crackdown, President Donald Trump had warned Iran not to commit a mass slaughter of protesters.
As noted by CBS News, the arrival of the strike group triggered a boast from the leader of the Revolutionary Guard Corps that his soldiers had their “finger on the trigger.”
The Lincoln strike group is comprised of the carrier and the guided missile destroyers USS Frank E. Petersen, Jr., USS Spruance, and USS Michael Murphy. The Lincoln carries squadrons of F/A-18E/F Super Hornets, EA-18G Growlers, F-35C fighter jets, and MH-60R/S helicopters.
According to The New York Times, the carrier augments military assets in the region that include about a dozen F-15E jets sent to bolster America’s offensive capabilities.
Iran was already firing volleys of threats.
“Our response will be more decisive and more painful than before if we become the target of a U.S.–Zionist attack,” Reza Talaei-Nik, the defense ministry spokesman, said.
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