Iran downplays US warship arrival near region

Iran’s foreign ministry said on Monday that the arrival of foreign warships near Iran would not change Tehran’s defense posture or its approach to diplomacy, after reports that a US aircraft carrier had reached the Middle East.

“Our position is clear. We have never welcomed war, and we have never turned away from diplomacy and negotiations, and we have shown this in practice,” Foreign Ministry Spokesman Esmail Baghaei said.

“The entry of foreign warships is not meant to affect Iran’s resolve and seriousness in defending the country,” he said, adding that Iran had “full will and capability to defend Iran with the backing of our people.”

Israel’s Channel 13 reported that the US aircraft carrier USS Abraham Lincoln arrived in the Middle East on Sunday evening and was operating near Iran. The report said a ship carrying missile defense systems was heading toward Israel and that a THAAD air defense battery was expected to arrive in the coming days.