The US Central Command (CENTCOM), which oversees American military operations across the Middle East, announced on Thursday that the USS Abraham Lincoln carrier strike group is maintaining "peak readiness" in the region amid ongoing tensions with Iran. The declaration came as Pakistan stepped up diplomatic efforts to revive US-Iran peace negotiations. The heightened military posture coincides with a broader wave of US pressure, including fresh sanctions targeting Hezbollah-affiliated parliamentarians and officials accused of obstructing disarmament in Lebanon, and Secretary of State Marco Rubio's criticism of NATO allies for failing to back Washington's confrontational stance toward Tehran.