The United States has been building up military assets near the Middle East in recent weeks, amid rising tensions with Iran over its nuclear program and internal crackdown on protests. U.S. naval and air deployments have expanded across the region, including the positioning of major warships near the Arabian Peninsula.
Early Saturday morning, US and Israeli forces carried out coordinated strikes on multiple cities across Iran, triggering swift retaliation threats from Tehran and a wave of attacks across the Middle East.
Iranian authorities said the attacks were part of what they described as a “massive” and ongoing US-Israeli assault on the country. Large plumes of black smoke were seen rising near the headquarters of the U.S. Navy’s Fifth Fleet in Manama, though the extent of any damage remains unclear, and the US has not confirmed the claims, the BBC reports.
Across the wider region, several countries hosting US military bases reported intercepting incoming missiles, including the United Arab Emirates, Qatar, Jordan and Kuwait, according to the outlet.
In Doha, Qatari authorities reported intercepting several incoming missiles believed to be targeting Al Udeid Air Base, the region’s largest US military installation.
Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz said Israel had launched what he described as a “preemptive strike” against Iran. Shortly afterward, President Donald Trump confirmed that Washington had also begun a military campaign inside the country. Israeli strikes targeted senior Iranian figures, according to two Israeli sources familiar with the operation who spoke to CNN.
The latest escalation follows weeks of mounting tensions between Washington and Tehran, as Trump criticized Iran’s crackdown on protesters and called for a deal on its nuclear capabilities. As rhetoric intensified, the US increased its military footprint in the region, with the aircraft carrier USS Abraham Lincoln spotted off the coast of Oman and the USS Gerald R. Ford, the US Navy’s newest and largest aircraft carrier, expected to join regional deployments.
The buildup has seen destroyers and specialist combat ships move to cover Iran’s southern flank as F-15 and EA-18 fighter jets gather numbers across military bases to the west.
Iran was ready to retaliate, according to ayatollah Ali Khamenei, who said this week that the US “may be struck so hard that it cannot get back up” if it renewed attacks against the regime.
Trump warned Wednesday that if Iran fails to agree to a deal, it may be “necessary” to attack the country from Diego Garcia or RAF Fairford, threatening to drag Britain into the conflict.
Naval buildup in the region
The USS Abraham Lincoln was situated Friday in the Arabian Sea, while the USS Gerald R Ford is passed through the Gibraltar Strait and could be positioned south of Cyprus in a matter of days.
The carriers are supported by protective destroyers in a ‘carrier strike group’. In total, 11 destroyers in the region will join three Littoral combat ships. Two or three attack submarines – including at least one with nuclear capabilities – loaded with Tomahawk missiles are also present.
The ayatollah issued a stark warning as the USS Gerald R Ford approached the Mediterranean this week, saying: “An aircraft carrier is a dangerous device, but more dangerous than the carrier is the weapon that can send it to the bottom of the sea.”
Tehran’s sabre-rattling extended to closing the Strait of Hormuz for the first time since the 1980s this week to carry out naval drills. Thursday saw more drills, this time with Russia, in the Sea of Oman.
The US would not need to send its second aircraft carrier to the region for it to have a role in a potential conflict with Iran.
Positioning the 333 metre nuclear-powered ship in the eastern Mediterranean would help protect Israel and Jordan if needed.
US strengthens aerial options
Jordan is home to the Muwaffaq Salti military base, where Washington had been building up combat and cargo aircraft in recent days.
Ageing F-15s and A-10 Warthogs have been pictured this week on the tarmac alongside C-130 transport aircraft. The US also still has around 10,000 troops scattered across bases in the region.
Further afield, modern and long-distance aircraft open up Washington’s options for strikes. Flight trackers show the movement of Boeing KC-135 tankers to Europe and the Middle East, which suggests preparedness for longer haul flights.
Last summer, B-2 bombers set off from Whiteman Air Force Base in Missouri, refuelling several times during flight, on a 36-hour round trip before striking Iran and returning home.
The US has moved more than 50 F-35, F-22 and F-16 fighter jets to the broader region this week, Axios reported, citing an unnamed US official and flight radar data. The two aircraft carriers have additional capacity for up to 180 aircraft between them.
Trump additionally suggested that if Iran does not submit to a deal, “it may be necessary for the United States to use Diego Garcia, and the airfield located in Fairford, in order to eradicate a potential attack by a highly unstable and dangerous regime”.
RAF Fairford in Gloucestershire is a US-operated base used as a bomber forward operating base.
A Ministry of Defence spokesperson toldThe Independent: “As routine, we do not comment on the operational activity of other nations, including third-party use of UK bases.”
Proposed US operations from a base in the UK would be considered on a case-by-case basis.
The US also appears to be tightening its air defences in the event of any Iranian retaliation. Last year’s Israeli strike on Iran’s nuclear capabilities led to retaliatory strikes by Iran on an American military base in Qatar.
The US could be prepping for that eventuality by the installation of an extensive series of C-5s and C-17s, Galaxy and Globemaster flights to bring air defence assets to its bases in the region.
Senior national security officials had told Trump that the military would be ready to strike Iran by Saturday, according to multiple US media outlets. One unnamed senior official said that it could be weeks before everything is fully in position, however.
“The president has ordered the continued buildup in the region, including the arrival of the second carrier group. Full forces should be in place by mid-March,” they said.
