US to conduct military exercise as Trump says Iran wants to hold talks

The US on Tuesday announced a major multi-day Air Force exercise in West Asia as Washington and Tehran face off over Iran’s deadly crackdown on anti-govt demonstrations.The announcement came a day after the US military said the Abraham Lincoln carrier strike group had arrived in West Asia, dramatically boosting American firepower in the region. No schedule or exact location for the military exercise were released. The protests in Iran started in late Dec,but turned into a mass movement against the Islamic republic, with huge street demonstrations for several days from Jan 8.A US-based rights group said Tuesday it had confirmed the deaths of over 6,000 people in protests, adding it was investigating over 17,000 more potential deaths. Trump has given mixed signals on intervention which some opponents of the clerical leadership see as the only way to bring about change. “We have a big armada next to Iran. Bigger than Venezuela,” he told Axios news site. But he added: “They want to make a deal. I know so. They called on numerous occasions. They want to talk.”