Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei issued a warning to the US in a speech on February 17. “An aircraft carrier is a dangerous machine, but even more dangerous is the weapon that can send it into the depths of the ocean,” he said.
His statement was in response to reports that the US had destroyed the aircraft carriers USS Abraham Lincoln and USS Gerald R. Ford has been deployed with its own battle groups near Iran.
Plan to assassinate Khamenei?
After this, according to reports quoting senior US officials and advisors, Donald Trump has been informed about a variety of military situations against Iran, including a controversial option, which includes a direct attack on Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and his son Mojtaba Khamenei.
The reported conversations show that the Pentagon has conveyed several military situations to Trump amid rising tensions with Tehran. One of the most dramatic options reportedly suggested would be to behead Iran’s top leadership.
Why is Trump hesitating to send his aircraft carrier to Iran?
The most dangerous weapon in Iran’s arsenal, which could be used against a US Navy carrier battle group, is the Fatah class hypersonic missiles.
According to a report by the Associated Press (AP), the Fatah-1 is a medium-range ballistic missile (MRBM) with a range of 1,400 km (870 mi) and a speed of Mach 13–15. It consists of a solid-fuel booster and a maneuverable re-entry vehicle (MaRV) with thrust vector controls, designed to avoid anti-missile defense in its terminal phase.
Additionally, the Hypersonic Glide Vehicle in the Fatah-2 is an advanced maneuverable warhead that uses its aerodynamic structure to travel on a flight trajectory that makes it more difficult for missile defense systems to detect and destroy them.
These missiles are also: