The US has deployed the aircraft carrier USS Abraham Lincoln with jets and destroyers near Iran in the Indian Ocean. This move comes after Donald Trump threatened Iran’s regime, saying "help is coming" to protesters there. The ship carries advanced jets including F-35Cs, F/A-18s, and EA-18G Growlers to break Iran’s air defense. Transport planes may have brought US air defense systems like Patriot and Thaad batteries to the Gulf to protect bases from drone and missile attacks. Around 35 F-15 fighters were moved from the UK to Jordan to defend Israel, Jordan, and Iraq if conflict rises. Michael Carpenter, former US national security council member, said the most likely military action would target Iran’s supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, with a capture or kill mission. He warned this operation would be risky and its success uncertain. Israel previously assassinated Iranian leaders using mobile phone tracking, but Khamenei’s security kept him safe. Iran’s air defenses are weak after last year’s war with Israel, making missile or jet strikes possible. However, capturing Khamenei would require a long-range mission and might turn into an assassination. An anonymous western analyst thinks a US assassination attempt with stand-off weapons is more likely than a capture. Iran's president, Masoud Pezeshkian, warned any attack on Khamenei would be a declaration of war. Iran has about 2,000 ballistic missiles stored underground that it could use to attack US ships like the Abraham Lincoln or military bases in the Gulf. US bases now have better air defenses, but some missiles have bypassed these systems before. Any Iranian missile attack risks widening the conflict to include Gulf allies. Other Iranian options include mining the Strait of Hormuz to block shipping, though US surveillance may prevent this. Experts say Iran’s options are limited, but so are the US chances for quick success. The situation remains tense and complex.