Tensions between the United States and Iran are increasingly fraught.\nThe largest US aircraft carrier has now moved closer to Iranian\nterritory.<\/p>\n
The USS Gerald R. Ford, the world\u2019s largest aircraft carrier, was\nseen entering the Mediterranean Sea on Friday (20 February) local time.\nThe vessel was ordered by US President Donald Trump to deploy to the\nMiddle East as part of a massive military build-up amid tensions with\nIran.<\/p>\n
According to AFP, the carrier was spotted crossing the Strait of\nGibraltar \u2014 which connects the Atlantic Ocean to the Mediterranean \u2014 in\nphotographs taken from the Gibraltar side of the strait.<\/p>\n
The aircraft carrier will join another US carrier, the USS Abraham\nLincoln, and its escort warships, which had already arrived in the\nMiddle East region.<\/p>\n
Trump said on Friday (20 February) local time that he was\n\u201cconsidering\u201d limited strikes against Iran should negotiations fail to\nproduce an agreement.<\/p>\n
Trump had previously signalled on Thursday (19 February) that \u201cbad\nthings\u201d would happen if Tehran did not reach a deal within 10 days, a\ndeadline he subsequently extended to 15 days.<\/p>\n
When asked by a reporter on Friday whether he was considering limited\nmilitary strikes, Trump replied: \u201cThe most I can say is \u2014 I\u2019m\nconsidering it.\u201d<\/p>\n
Tehran Residents Unable to Sleep Soundly<\/strong><\/p>\n The Iran-US tensions have left residents of Tehran unable to sleep\npeacefully. The spectre of war haunts their nights.<\/p>\n A Tehran resident named Hamid said he struggles to sleep due to fears\nof renewed conflict looming over the Iranian capital, following the\n12-day war with Israel last year.<\/p>\n \u201cI can\u2019t sleep well at night even with medication,\u201d Hamid told AFP on\nSunday (22 February 2026).<\/p>\n Tehran was shaken by overnight explosions on 12 to 13 June last year,\nwhen Iran\u2019s arch-enemy Israel launched an unprecedented military\ncampaign. This resulted in an exchange of attacks between Iran and\nIsrael.<\/p>\n Those strikes prompted Iran to respond with drone and missile\nattacks, resulting in thousands of deaths in Iran and dozens in\nIsrael.<\/p>\n Iran has since resumed talks with the US, insisting that discussions\nbe limited to the nuclear issue, although Washington had previously\npushed for Tehran\u2019s ballistic missile programme and its support for\narmed groups in the region to also be on the agenda. However, the\noutcome of diplomacy remains uncertain.<\/p>\n Against this backdrop, Hamid worries about his children and\ngrandchildren.<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019ve lived my life, but they haven\u2019t done anything good in theirs \u2014\nthey haven\u2019t had fun, haven\u2019t been comfortable, haven\u2019t had leisure\ntime, and haven\u2019t had peace,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n \u201cI want them to at least experience life for a while. But I\u2019m afraid\nthey might not get that chance.\u201d<\/p>\n Other residents share similar concerns. Hanieh, a ceramic artisan\nfrom Tehran, believes war will come \u201cwithin 10 days\u201d.<\/p>\n The 31-year-old woman has stockpiled basic necessities at home in\npreparation for a possible US military strike following the American\nmilitary build-up in the region.<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019m increasingly frightened because my mother and I went through so\nmany hardships during the last 12-day war,\u201d she told AFP.<\/p>\n \u201cWe had to flee to another city,\u201d she added.<\/p>\n Another resident, Mina Ahmadvand (46), also believes another conflict\nis imminent.<\/p>\n \u201cI think at this stage, war between Iran and the US and Israel is\ninevitable, and I have prepared myself for that possibility,\u201d the IT\ntechnician told AFP.<\/p>\n \u201cI bought a dozen canned goods including tuna and beans, several\npackets of biscuits, bottled drinking water, and some extra batteries,\namong other items.\u201d<\/p>\n Sweden and Serbia Urge Citizens to Leave Iran<\/strong><\/p>\n The governments of Sweden and Serbia have called on their nationals\nin Iran to leave the country immediately. The appeals came after US\nPresident Donald Trump threatened military action over the Islamic\nRepublic\u2019s nuclear programme.<\/p>\n The Serbian government had asked Serbian citizens in mid-January to\nleave Iran and refrain from travelling there, as Iranian authorities\nlaunched a deadly crackdown on mass protest movements.<\/p>\n \u201cDue to the deteriorating security situation, citizens of the\nRepublic of Serbia are advised against travelling to Iran in the near\nfuture,\u201d the Serbian Foreign Ministry said in a recent statement on its\nwebsite, published on Friday evening into Saturday morning local\ntime.<\/p>\n \u201cAll those currently in Iran are advised to leave the country as soon\nas possible,\u201d it added.<\/p>\n Separately, Swedish Foreign Minister Maria Malmer Stenergard posted\non social media platform X her \u201curgent appeal to Swedish citizens in\nIran to leave the country immediately\u201d.<\/p>\n Advisory for Indonesian Citizens in Iran<\/strong><\/p>\n Acting Director of Indonesian Citizens Protection at the Foreign\nMinistry, Heni Hamidah, said the ministry through the Indonesian Embassy\nin Tehran is monitoring security developments in Iran. The situation in\nTehran currently remains normal.<\/p>\n \u201cThe Foreign Ministry through the Indonesian Embassy in Tehran\ncontinues to monitor the security situation in Iran, and as of now, the\nsituation in Tehran and other cities is observed to be running normally\nand remains conducive,\u201d Heni said when contacted on Sunday (22\nFebruary).<\/p>\n She said the embassy continues to monitor the whereabouts of\nIndonesian citizens and maintains active communication. To date, there\nhave been no reports of Indonesian citizens facing threats or dangerous\nsituations.<\/p>",
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