‘AMERICAN military movements and rhetoric in West Asia are part of a calculated effort to destabilise the region,’ Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian said yesterday. ‘The threats and psychological operations of the Americans are aimed at disrupting the security of the region and will achieve nothing other than instability,’ Pezeshkian. The remarks followed the arrival of US aircraft carrier Abraham Lincoln in the region and a series of escalatory threats from Washington. US President Trump threatened Iran, warning that ‘time is running out’ and saying a ‘massive Armada’ is ‘moving quickly, with great power, enthusiasm, and purpose’. ‘Any action against Iran will push the region toward a broader confrontation that will also encompass the Persian Gulf countries and Iraq.