Tonight on World News, uncertainty deepens as Washington and Tehran trade signals of restraint and escalation. From US aircraft carriers quietly repositioning in West Asia to reports of foreign militias reinforcing Iran’s internal crackdown, the risk of miscalculation grows. A chilling remark from Iran’s military leadership and a critical phone call between Donald Trump and Benjamin Netanyahu add further complexity to a rapidly evolving crisis with global consequences. Pankaj Mishra with the details. Watch.
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NewsTranscript
00:00Good evening. This is World News. Tonight, uncertainty, escalation and the thin line
00:08between restraint and war dominate the proceedings. From Washington to Tehran,
00:14signals are mixed. Rhetoric is calibrated, but military assets are quietly moving into position.
00:20At the center of it all, one question that refuses to go away. Will the United States
00:25strike Iran, or is this the calm before a far more dangerous storm? We begin with Washington,
00:32where words suggest caution, but actions tell a different story.
00:37Will he or won't he? That's the question hanging over US President Donald Trump
00:42and a possible military strike on Iran. Publicly, Trump has hinted at restraint,
00:47saying he received assurances from, quote, very important sources on the other side,
00:53unquote, that the killings of protesters have stopped in Iran. But behind the scenes,
00:58the Pentagon is repositioning power. A US carrier strike group has been redirected from the South
01:04China Sea to the Central Command Area, which includes West Asia. A move that takes days to
01:11execute and signals intent, not hesitation.
01:15Tensions in the Middle East are spiking to new heights. First, the USS Abraham Lincoln was sent
01:23west from the Indo-Pacific, fully armed with fighter jets, guided missile destroyers,
01:29and an attack submarine. Now, reports suggest a second carrier strike group,
01:35the USS George H.W. Bush, may be crossing the Atlantic toward the region.
01:42Is the U.S. preparing for a major show of force, or something even bigger?
01:47The Bush is a Nimitz-class nuclear-powered carrier, homeported in Norfolk, Virginia. It recently
01:55finished a major maintenance period and has been preparing for operations, including carrier
02:01qualifications. If deployed, it could position near Israel or transit the Suez Canal into the Red Sea,
02:08placing it close to Iranian waters. However, as of early January 2026, official sources have not
02:17confirmed this movement, and most tracking reports suggest the ship was still near Norfolk.
02:24Meanwhile, the Abraham Lincoln strike group is already moving toward the Middle East.
02:29Satellite data confirms its journey, which includes fighter jets, guided missile destroyers,
02:35and a stealthy attack submarine. The deployment comes amid mass protests in Iran and reports of the
02:43regime cracking down on civilians. U.S. officials have warned that further killings would have grave
02:50consequences. At an emergency U.N. Security Council meeting, Trump's envoy Mike Waltz said,
02:58all options are on the table. The U.S. has reportedly received assurances that Tehran will not
03:05execute hundreds of arrested protesters, but Washington continues to issue warnings.
03:11Two carrier strike groups in the region, that's a signal that Washington is prepared for multiple
03:17contingencies. Some analysts warn it could be a deterrent meant to pressure Iran to halt violence.
03:25Others fear it could be a precursor to a military strike, given the timing of domestic unrest and the
03:32presence of highly capable U.S. naval forces. Is the U.S. simply flexing its muscle, or is a major attack
03:40on Iran imminent? One thing is clear, the world is watching, and any misstep could spark a regional
03:47crisis with global consequences. Stay tuned as we track the Abraham Lincoln and George H.W. Bush
03:55carriers and the escalating situation in Iran. When a government struggles to control unrest at home,
04:02it looks beyond its borders. Multiple reports now suggest Iran has brought in nearly 5,000 Iraqi
04:10militia fighters to suppress anti-government protests. These are not the routine enforcements.
04:16These are the groups that do not answer to Baghdad, but to Tehran. Many trained, armed and coordinated
04:24by the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps. Take a look.
04:47When a government can't control protests at home, it looks outside its borders for help.
04:54According to multiple reports, Iran has brought in nearly 5,000 Iraqi militia fighters to suppress
05:00anti-government demonstrations. These are not ordinary reinforcements. These are the same groups
05:06accused of brutally crushing protests in Iraq. The fighters reportedly come from Iran-backed Iraqi
05:13militias, including Qatayyib Hezbollah, Harakat al-Nujaba, Saeed al-Shuhada, and the Bader Organization.
05:21These groups answer not to Baghdad, but to Tehran. Many were trained, armed, and coordinated by the
05:28Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, and several are designated as terrorist organizations by the United States.
05:35Iraq knows these militias well. During the 2019 Iraqi protest movement, these same groups were accused of
05:42sniper fire, kidnappings, and mass killings, and that left hundreds of peaceful protesters dead.
05:49Young Iraqis demanding jobs, dignity, and an end to corruption were met with bullets,
05:55disappearances, and fear. Now, reports say, those fighters have crossed into Iran.
06:02Iran has faced weeks of massive unrest. What began as protests over inflation and economic collapse
06:09quickly became chants of down with the dictator, spreading to over 200 cities across 26 provinces.
06:16Analysts say Tehran no longer fully trusts its own forces, the IRGC and Basij, amid reports of
06:23reluctance to fire on civilians. So, the regime allegedly turned to foreign militias with no
06:29emotional ties to Iran's people. Eyewitnesses in cities like Mashhad report riot police speaking
06:36Arabic. Sources say fighters entered Iran disguised as religious pilgrims,
06:41then were deployed to protest hotspots. Some reports claim they're paid around $600 a month to
06:48help enforce the crackdown. For many Iranians, this crossed a red line. Bringing in Iraqi militias
06:54risks deepening public anger and shattering any remaining legitimacy. To protesters, it feels like
07:01occupation, not security. To the region, it raises the risk of spillover, because these militias are
07:07part of Iran's so-called axis of resistance, active across Iraq, Syria, Lebanon, and beyond.
07:14The United States has expressed concern, calling the use of foreign militias a betrayal of the Iranian
07:20people. Iran once used these militias to crush protests in Iraq. Now, if reports are true,
07:27it's using them to silence its own people. Will this stop the protests or ignite something even bigger?
07:37A single sentence now circulating online is raising serious alarm, attributed to Iran's
07:43Armed Forces Chief, Major General Abdul Rahim Mousavi. Quote, if our boys had used their weapons,
07:50it would have been over in two hours. Unquote. In a video shared by pro-regime accounts,
07:56Mousavi claims security forces showed restraint. He accuses protesters of using civilian as human
08:03shields, suggesting civilian deaths were not the state's responsibility. But critics say the
08:09statement reveals something else entirely, how much force remains unused and available.
08:20had deliberately used human shields, they had blended in among the ordinary innocent civilians.
08:25A significant number of our beloved people were confronting them entirely unarmed.
08:33What does it mean when a country's top military commander says this?
08:37If our boys had used their weapons, it would have been over in two hours.
08:42That statement, now circulating online, is being attributed to Iran's Armed Forces Chief,
08:48Major General Abdul Rahim Mousavi. And it's raising disturbing questions about what's really
08:54happening on Iran's streets. In a video shared by pro-regime accounts, Mousavi claimed that Iranian
09:00security forces showed restraint during clashes with protesters. He alleged that demonstrators used
09:07other civilians as human shields and suggested that this, not the security forces, was responsible for
09:14high civilian casualties. It took them a full two hours to gather all of them. However, because they
09:20had deliberately used human shields, they had blended in among the ordinary innocent civilians. A significant
09:25number of our beloved people were confronting them entirely unarmed, many of them.
09:31To critics, the message sounded less like restraint and more like a warning. These remarks come as Iran
09:38enters its third week of massive anti-government protests. What began in late December as demonstrations
09:44over economic collapse, inflation, and currency devaluation has evolved into open calls for the overthrow of
09:52the Islamic Republic. Chants like death to the dictator are echoing across hundreds of cities and towns nationwide.
10:00Iranian officials insist they tolerate peaceful protesters, but label others as rioters, saboteurs,
10:06or foreign-backed enemies. They accuse the US and Israel of orchestrating a soft war and use that claim
10:14to justify harsher crackdowns. Mousavi's comments fit squarely into that narrative. Human rights organizations
10:21paint a very different picture. They report,
10:25live ammunition fired into crowds. Metal pellets causing devastating facial injuries. Shoot to kill
10:32tactics targeting the chest and abdomen. Hospitals overwhelmed. Families searching makeshift morgues for
10:38loved ones. This escalated sharply after a nationwide internet blackout earlier this month. Casualty numbers
10:46remain fiercely contested. Verified groups confirmed thousands killed and tens of thousands arrested.
10:53Other claims suggest even higher figures, though unverified. What is clear is this. The scale of
11:00violence is unlike anything Iran has seen in years. To many analysts, Mousavi's statement wasn't about
11:08restraint at all. It sounded like a message to Iranians and the world. This is not our full force. It could be
11:16far worse. And that may be the most chilling part. Was this a justification for what's already happened?
11:23Or a warning of what could still come? When a military chief says violence could have ended protests in two hours,
11:30people start asking who's really being protected and who's being threatened. Is this restraint or intimidation?
11:38Now, a key phone call and a request for restraint. According to the New York Times, Israeli Prime Minister
11:48Benjamin Netanyahu has asked President Donald Trump to delay any potential American strike on Iran.
11:54The White House has confirmed the call, but not the details. This comes as Iran has warned it will
12:01retaliate against Israel if attacked by the United States. The timing of that conversation before or after
12:08Trump's public softening remains unclear.
12:27Tonight, war nearly ignited, then stopped cold. A US strike on Iran was reportedly called off at the
12:35very last minute, with aircraft already repositioned and regional bases on high alert.
12:41Sources say Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu urged caution, privately pushing Washington to step back,
12:48amid fears Iran could hit back harder than expected. According to reports, Donald Trump nearly greenlit a strike
12:56late Wednesday night, only to pull the plug minutes before execution. Advisors warned they could not guarantee a
13:03decisive blow to Iran's leadership and that retaliation could overwhelm US assets in the region.
13:10Israeli officials are said to be deeply uneasy. Netanyahu, long a hardliner on Iran, is now described
13:18as spooked by the scale of Tehran's potential response, fearing regional escalation that could
13:24quickly spiral beyond control. Signs of de-escalation followed. US aircraft that had been moved out of
13:31Al-Udayd Air Base in Qatar began returning, security warning levels were lowered, and personnel previously
13:38advised to leave were cleared to come back, according to sources briefed on the situation. Iran, too,
13:44stepped back, reopening its airspace after a near five-hour shutdown that had disrupted global flights.
13:51The move eased immediate fears of imminent conflict, as commercial aircraft cautiously resumed
13:57routes over the country. Trump signaled a temporary pause in pressure after being told that Iran's
14:03deadly crackdown on protests may be easing. Iranian officials denied plans for mass executions,
14:10and at least one reported death sentence was postponed, moves Trump publicly welcomed.
14:16Despite the cooling signals, officials stress this is not a resolution. Iran remains on edge,
14:23U.S. forces remain deployed, and Israel continues to warn of Tehran's nuclear ambitions. The question
14:30now is whether diplomacy holds, or whether this was just the calm before another storm. For now,
14:37war didn't start tonight. But the episode exposes deep unease, even among Iran's fiercest critics,
14:44about the cost of direct confrontation. Netanyahu's warning, Trump's pause, and Iran's measured response
14:51suggest one thing. Everyone blinked this time. Jackie. Thank you, Caroline. I wanted to get
14:57the White House reaction to Iranian state TV broadcasting an implicit threat to the president's
15:04life. It was images of the assassination attempt in Butler, Pennsylvania, according to reports with
15:09the message. This time it will not go wrong. I have not seen that, to be honest with you, Jackie.
15:15We'll take a look, and I'll let the president and his national security team examine that footage to
15:20ensure its legitimacy. Again, I haven't seen it, so I can't comment on it. What I will say, with respect
15:24to Iran, is that the president and his team have communicated to the Iranian regime that if the
15:30killing continues, there will be grave consequences. And the president received a message, as he revealed
15:35to all of you in the whole world yesterday, that the killing and the executions will stop. And the
15:40president understands today that 800 executions that were scheduled and supposed to take place
15:46yesterday were halted. And so the president and his team are closely monitoring this situation,
15:53and all options remain on the table for the president. So, tonight, the picture is this.
15:58Aircraft carriers are moving, militias are crossing borders, and leaders are choosing words with care.
16:06Between restraint and retaliation, the space is narrow, and the cost of miscalculation
16:11could be global. That's world news for you. See you soon.
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