The USS Abraham Lincoln aircraft carrier strike group has crossed into the area of responsibility of the U.S. military's Central Command, the Middle East region that includes Iran, CENTCOM confirmed on Monday.

The American warships' movement toward Iran, which President Trump has referred to as an "armada," came after the commander of Islamic Republic's powerful Revolutionary Guard Corps warned that his forces had their "finger on the trigger."

CENTCOM confirmed with a social media post that the USS Abraham Lincoln aircraft carrier and the other vessels in its strike group were sailing in the Indian Ocean after being deployed to the Middle East — the first public acknowledgment from the Department of Defense that the carrier group had reached Central Command's vast area of responsibility. It said the deployment was "to promote regional security and stability."

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The strike group is comprised of the Lincoln and three guided missile destroyers: the USS Frank E. Petersen, Jr., the USS Spruance and the USS Michael Murphy. On board the Lincoln are squadrons of F/A-18E/F Super Hornets, EA-18G Growlers, F-35C fighter jets and MH-60R/S helicopters.