The Nimitz-class aircraft carrier USS Abraham Lincoln (CVN 72) transits the Atlantic Ocean while conducting carrier qualifications and training underway on February 1, 2018. Photo: VCG

A US carrier strike group has reportedly arrived in the Middle East region by Monday amid speculation over potential operations against Iran, while the Iranian side said the US warships would not weaken Iran’s defense resolve.

The USS Abraham Lincoln carrier strike group is now in the Indian Ocean, putting it closer to assist in any potential US operations targeting Iran, CNN claimed in a report on Monday, citing two sources.

The group is within the area of responsibility of US Central Command, whose purview includes military operations in the Middle East, according to CNN, which noted that the carrier is not necessarily in a final position for any potential operation.

Citing a senior US official, Fox News also reported on Monday that the USS Abraham Lincoln aircraft carrier has entered CENTCOM waters in the Indian Ocean. The top US official claimed that the Lincoln was not yet ready for any possible future strikes against Iran.

Fox News, citing reports, also claimed that Iran's Ayatollah Ali Khamenei has gone underground, suggesting the country may be preparing for military action.

In response, Iran’s Foreign Ministry Spokesman Esmail Baghaei said on Monday that US warships would not weaken Iran’s defense resolve, and Iran’s UN envoy in Geneva said Tehran is prepared for “any scenario,” according to Monday reports by Iran International.

Song Zhongping, a Chinese military affairs expert, told the Global Times on Monday that the US carrier strike group’s deployment is indeed likely targeted at Iran, as the US is applying more pressure.

Since the US military operation that forcibly seized Venezuela President Nicolas Maduro earlier this month, the US could have become more audacious about solving issues through military means, so it cannot be ruled out that the US could launch an attack on Iran, Song said.

Meanwhile, potential US military operations are still not certain. CNN noted that US allies have been urging the US to forestall any military action, with Iranian officials having warned that a US attack would lead to strikes on Washington’s allies in the region. Iran possesses a large arsenal of medium- and long-range ballistic missiles.

The Fox News report also suggested that the US carrier strike group could be vulnerable against potential Iranian attacks. A leading US drone expert told Fox that Iran's drone swarms would pose a credible and serious threat to the Lincoln and its strike group.

The US expert claimed that Iran can launch large numbers of relatively unsophisticated drones directly at naval vessels, creating saturation attacks that could overwhelm traditional defenses. “Modern defense systems were not originally designed to counter that kind of saturation attack. For US surface vessels operating near Iran, warships are prime targets.”

In response to a request for comment on that the US is sending a massive fleet toward Iran, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Guo Jiakun said at a regular press conference on Friday that China hopes that Iran will maintain national stability and that all parties will cherish peace, exercise restraint, and resolve differences through dialogue.