00:00Good evening, this is World News. Tonight, war math that should command attention.
00:08The United States has now deployed more military force to the Middle East
00:11than during three major wars combined. Aircraft are moving, carriers are going dark,
00:17and the distance between deterrence and confrontation is shrinking fast.
00:22We begin with the scale and the signal of Washington's military surge around Iran.
00:27The numbers are stark. In just 36 hours, Washington positioned its 12th C-17 Globemaster
00:34at bases encircling Iran, each capable of carrying 77 tons of weapons. And now,
00:42the USS Abraham Lincoln is moving into the Arabian Sea. More US assets than the Gulf War,
00:48more than Iraq, more than both combined, and Tehran is watching closely.
00:54The USS Abraham Lincoln is on the move, and the stakes couldn't be higher. As of January 20,
01:042026, the latest U.S. Naval Institute report shows the Nimitz-class aircraft carrier was transiting
01:12westbound through the Andaman Sea, just after passing the Strait of Malacca. Its destination,
01:18the Arabian Sea, placing it within striking distance of Iran. But here's the twist. The Lincoln has gone
01:27completely dark. Its AIS transponders are switched off, a standard security measure for sensitive
01:33operations, yet one that adds a heavy dose of uncertainty amid rising U.S.-Iran tensions.
01:40At transit speeds of 20 to 25 knots, the carrier could reach the Arabian Sea in less than 48 hours.
01:48That puts the clock on a potential confrontation with Iran officially ticking.
01:53The Lincoln isn't alone. Accompanying it are three destroyers, the USS Frank E. Peterson Jr.,
02:02USS Spruans, and USS Michael Murphy, all armed with Aegis missile systems and long-range tomahawks.
02:11Meanwhile, the carrier's air wing includes up to 90 aircraft from F-18 Super Hornets to F-35C Lightning IIs,
02:22capable of long-range strikes with aerial refueling. Hours from now, the carrier could establish a
02:29patrol in the Arabian Sea, placing it just a few hundred miles from Iranian territory, a position
02:36that allows the U.S. to respond immediately to any provocations. Air reinforcements are already in
02:44place. F-15E strike eagles have been deployed to Jordan. C-17 cargo flights have delivered crucially
02:51equipment, and coalition partners like the U.K. are coordinating typhoon fighter patrols. This is
02:58more than a single ship. It's a full-scale show of force. The Lincoln's rapid deployment,
03:06tracker blackout, and full combat readiness sent a stark message. The U.S. is ready to act if tensions
03:13with Iran escalate. But the question on everyone's mind is, will this be a standoff or the opening
03:21countdown to conflict?
03:27Iran's military response is no longer subtle. A senior commander has issued a blunt warning to
03:32Donald Trump after remarks targeting Iran's supreme leader. Rear Admiral Habibullah Sayyari says,
03:39Trump crossed a red line, calling the comments, quote, dead wrong. Iran's armed forces now say
03:47any threat to the supreme leader would trigger devastating retaliation,
03:51and the message is being echoed at the highest diplomatic level.
03:56A senior Iranian military commander has just delivered a sharp warning to Donald Trump after
04:03the U.S. President made provocative remarks about Iran's supreme leader. And the response from Tehran,
04:10blunt, public, and unmistakable. Rear Admiral Habibullah Sayyari, deputy chief of Iran's army for
04:18coordination, says President Trump crossed a red line. Responding to Trump's calls for an end to Ayatollah
04:26Sayyad Ali Khamenei's leadership, Sayyari dismissed the remarks outright. His words were simple and
04:33forceful. Trump was dead wrong. Sayyari's statement comes amid a wave of increasingly direct warnings
04:40from Iran's top military and political leadership. Just a day earlier, armed forces spokesperson,
04:46General Abul Fazl Shaqarchi, said any hostile action against the supreme leader would trigger
04:53devastating military retaliation. He brushed off Trump's rhetoric as clamor, but made clear that
04:59an actual attack would come at a very high cost. Iranian President Massoud Pazeshkian echoed that
05:06message. He warned that any move against Ayatollah Khamenei would amount to a full-fledged war with
05:13the Iranian nation. Together, the statements signal a unified message from Tehran. The supreme leader is not
05:20just a political figure. He is a red line. These warnings come as Iran continues to face unrest
05:28that began with economic protests in late December. Iranian officials claim the demonstrations were
05:34later infiltrated by riotous and armed elements, which they say were backed by the United States and Israel.
05:41According to Iranian intelligence, security forces moved quickly, arresting ringleaders,
05:54seizing weapons, and restoring order across the country.
06:01Trump has repeatedly commented on the protests, at times suggesting the U.S. could intervene militarily
06:08if Iran confronted demonstrators. He has also made personal remarks about Ayatollah Khamenei,
06:14calling him weak, sick, and even an easy target. Those comments appear to have intensified Iran's
06:21response. Sayari pointed to January 12th, when millions of Iranians rallied nationwide in support
06:29of the supreme leader. He said the massive demonstrations neutralized what he described
06:34as foreign plots against Iran's Islamic system. According to the commander, the events showed
06:40public unity, not weakness. Sayari also stressed that Iran's armed forces are stronger than ever.
06:47The message from Tehran is now unmistakable. Iran's leadership says criticism is one thing,
06:54but threats against its supreme leader cross into dangerous territory. As tensions rise and rhetoric
07:00sharpens, the question remains, will words stay words, or is the region edging closer to another confrontation?
07:08Now, this warning did not come through state television. It came through the Wall Street
07:27Journal. Iran's Foreign Minister Abbas Aragji writes that Iran is fully prepared to fire back
07:34with everything it has, if attacked. He calls it not a threat, but a reality check. Take a look.
07:43Iran's Foreign Minister has just issued his most direct warning yet to the United States,
07:49and he did it in plain sight. Not at a rally, not through state TV, but in an opinion piece for the
07:57Wall Street Journal. Iran's Foreign Minister warns Trump, we will fire back.
08:03Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Aragji says Iran is prepared to respond with overwhelming force if it
08:11comes under attack again. In his words, our powerful armed forces have no qualms about firing
08:18back with everything we have if we come under renewed attack. Aragji stressed that this was not a threat,
08:25but what he described as a realistic assessment of Iran's military posture. Aragji said Iran showed
08:32restraint earlier this year, but warned that restraint should not be mistaken for weakness. According to him,
08:40any future conflict with the United States would not be limited or short-lived. He wrote that an
08:46all-out confrontation would be ferocious, would drag on far longer than expected, and would likely pull
08:53the entire region into the fighting. Aragji repeatedly blamed Israel for escalating
08:59tensions between Tehran and Washington. He claimed that Israel and what he described as its supporters
09:06in Washington are pushing the U.S. toward a war based on unrealistic assumptions. Assumptions,
09:12he says, ignore the regional consequences.
09:15Turning to President Donald Trump, Aragji said Trump sees himself as a deal-maker, but argued that
09:22his policies have instead produced instability. He pointed to conflicts across the Middle East and
09:28said that lives have been lost in multiple countries during Trump's current term. Aragji also claimed that
09:35U.S.-Iran talks in Oman last year came close to a compromise before collapsing. He said those talks
09:42failed because of political pressure inside Washington, which he attributed to Israel-linked interests.
09:49On the recent unrest inside Iran, Aragji rejected allegations of a violent crackdown on peaceful
09:56protesters. He said the protests were initially recognized as legitimate, but later, according to
10:02him, were overtaken by armed groups and what he called terrorist actors. Aragji claimed Iranian police were
10:09caught off guard by coordinated attacks and that officers were killed in brutal ways. To illustrate the
10:16scale, he compared it to 600 U.S. law enforcement officers being killed in 72 hours. Independent
10:24human rights organizations dispute Aragji's version of events. While Iranian officials say around 5,000
10:31people were killed, activists and opposition groups claim the number could be significantly higher,
10:37with tens of thousands detained. Those concerns were cited when Aragji was barred from attending the
10:43Davos World Economic Forum. Despite the warnings, Aragji insisted that Iran prefers diplomacy. He said
10:51Iran remains open to what he called serious and respectful negotiations, but is no longer convinced
10:58the U.S. shares that approach. His message to Trump was blunt, try respect. Aragji says Iran wants peace,
11:07but is prepared for war. Whether this public warning leads to talks or deeper confrontation remains to be seen.
11:16Now from Gulf, a stark warning. Qatar's Prime Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdul Rahman Al Thani says
11:23the Middle East could quote, explode at any moment unquote. Speaking at Davos, he urged regional players
11:32to step back from the brink warning that a direct U.S.-Iran clash would be catastrophic. With Gaza unresolved,
11:40Red Sea attacks escalating and great powers watching closely, analysts also warn a single spark could
11:48trigger consequences far beyond West Asia. Right now, a stark warning is coming from the heart of West Asia.
12:00At the World Economic Forum in Davos, Qatar's Prime Minister said the region could explode at any moment.
12:08And that warning is not hyperbole. It is a signal. Qatar's Prime Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdul Rahman
12:17Al Thani spoke on January 20, 2026. And his message was clear. West Asia is sitting on a powder keg.
12:27He urged regional powers to unite, rebuild trust, and rethink the entire security architecture before it
12:35is too late. Why now? Because the fault lines are widening. Inside the Gulf Cooperation Council,
12:44deep rifts are emerging. Saudi Arabia and the UAE, once close allies, are at odds over Yemen. The UAE is backing
12:54separatist groups, while Saudi Arabia is pushing to keep Yemen united. This disagreement is not just
13:01diplomatic, it is military. And it is destabilizing the entire region. Qatar, positioning itself as a
13:09mediator, is calling for dialogue. It is quietly aligning with Saudi Arabia, while warning that any
13:16escalation could spill into the Red Sea, into Sudan, into Somalia. A regional fire becoming a continental
13:25one. But the bigger shadow looms over Iran. The aftershocks of the Gaza conflict are still unresolved.
13:33Houthi attacks in the Red Sea continue to threaten global shipping. And U.S.-Iran tensions are rising
13:40after Iran's crackdown on anti-regime protests. Qatar's foreign ministry has been blunt. Any U.S.-Iran
13:49military escalation would be catastrophic. Not just for the region, but for the world.
13:56Here's why. A direct U.S. strike on Iran would not stay limited. Iran's network of proxies, Hezbollah in
14:04Lebanon, Houthis in Yemen, militias in Iraq and Syria, would respond immediately. U.S. bases, Israeli targets,
14:13Gulf states, multiple fronts at once. And then there's energy. Iran controls the Strait of Hormuz,
14:21a choke point for 20 percent of the world's oil. Close that Strait and global markets panic. Russia,
14:29deeply tied to Iran through weapons and war in Ukraine, could step in. China, Iran's top oil buyer,
14:37could deploy naval forces if energy flows are threatened. One direct clash, one misstep, and a
14:44regional war becomes a global one. This is why Qatar is sounding the alarm. It hosts U.S. bases,
14:52talks to Iran, and mediates conflicts others cannot. The message from Davos is simple and chilling.
15:00West Asia is not drifting toward crisis. It is standing at the edge. What happens next could shape
15:08the world?
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