India, Jan. 16 -- The United States is redeploying a carrier strike group from theSouth China Sea to the US Central Command's area of responsibility, which covers the Middle East, as tensions rise between the Trump administration and Iran, according to multiple reports.

A source told CNN that moving the USS Abraham Lincoln to the Middle East is expected to take around a week. The decision to move such major US military assets comes at a sensitive time, as Iran faces internal unrest and growing questions remain over whether the White House could consider military action in support of protesters challenging Iran's clerical leadership.

The US Central Command's "area of responsibility" spans a vast region, including Northeast Africa, the Mi...