President Trump suggested a regional conflict could occur if no deal is reached over Iran's nuclear program, responding to Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei's warning that a U.S. attack would escalate into a broader regional war.

Tensions have risen following Trump's threats of intervention after Iran's crackdown on protests, with Iranian officials stating they are ready to strike back if attacked while Trump has deployed what he calls the "biggest, most powerful ships in the world" to the region. Iran's foreign ministry downplayed war concerns though the Revolutionary Guard said its “war room” is active, and both countries have announced military exercises in the region.

Vice Adm. Robert Murrett (Ret.), professor of practice of public administration and international affairs, tells Newsweek that the shift of the USS Abraham Lincoln battle group to the CENTCOM area of responsibility (AOR) near Iran is of some note, although there is already significant combat power in the region at this time. 

“Defining our mission objectives will be key for any use of force again Iran, that is, one which can credibly lead to meeting a strategic end state,” he says.

In the Wall Street Journal article “Trump’s armada is getting in place. Now he must decide what to do with Iran,” Murrett says, “The kind of things you’d want to do and the force packages you would need are very different,” depending on what Trump decides. 

Murrett was also interviewed on the Dave Allen Podcast regarding the U.S. shooting down an Iranian drone that approached the USS Abraham Lincoln in the Arabian Sea.