The United States has stepped up its military buildup off the coast of Iran, which experts say could be a sign that Washington is planning an attack on the country.
The nuclear-powered aircraft carrier USS Abraham Lincoln is one of several military assets the United States has deployed to the Arabian Sea in recent days.
The United States also deployed assets from around the world to the region during last June’s 12-day Iran-Israel War, in which the United States sided with its ally Israel and massively bombed three Iranian nuclear facilities.
And late last year, the United States stockpiled military assets in the Caribbean, weeks before launching a series of attacks on Venezuelan fishing boats that it claimed without evidence were trafficking drugs to the United States. In the end, the United States abducted Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro from Caracas in a military strike on January 3rd.
Massive protests have been taking place in Iran since late December, with thousands of people initially taking to the streets to complain about the country’s currency collapse, then demanding regime change and accusing Iranian security forces of massacring demonstrators. The UN special rapporteur on Iran said at least 5,000 protesters had been killed and thousands detained.
US President Donald Trump used the opportunity to slam Iranian clerics, telling demonstrators that “help is on the way” and threatening military action if Iran carries out the executions of prisoners.
Earlier this month, President Trump reportedly ended his threat after the Iranian government assured him it would not carry out any executions. And when the protests were finally quelled last week, Iran claimed the planned executions had been called off through no fault of its own, although it disputed that account.
Nevertheless, some analysts say President Trump’s rhetoric and the unusual deployment of U.S. military assets to Iran’s coast in recent days could indicate an attack could be imminent.
President Trump told reporters aboard Air Force One last Thursday that he was deploying troops and assets to the region “just in case.”
“We have a large fleet heading in that direction and we probably won’t need to use it,” he said.
But he warned that if Iran executed protesters and the US took military action against the country, the attacks on three Iranian nuclear facilities in June would be “like peanuts.”
Here’s what we know about what U.S. assets are being deployed.
What U.S. military assets have arrived in the region?
In a post on X on Monday, U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) confirmed that the nuclear-powered aircraft carrier USS Abraham Lincoln was deployed to the Middle East to “promote regional security and stability.”
The ship, one of the largest warships in the U.S. Navy, left its home port of San Diego, California, in November and was operating in the South China Sea until last week.
Centcom did not provide details about why the ship was deployed, but its statement signals a major U.S. naval deployment to Iran at a time of heightened tensions between Washington and Tehran.
U.S. Air Forces Central Command (AFCENT) also announced Tuesday that it will conduct “multi-day readiness” military training across its “area of responsibility,” citing the more than two dozen countries in the Middle East, Asia and Africa that host U.S. military bases.
AFCENT said in a statement that the exercise will help improve its ability to deploy assets and personnel, strengthen coordination with host countries and prepare for a “flexible response.”
“This is about upholding our promise to maintain a ready air force and the disciplined execution necessary to ensure that air power is available when and where we need it,” AFCENT commander Lt. Gen. Derek French said in a statement.
Details such as the location and timing of the training are unknown.
The United States maintains a vast military presence in the Middle East and has been expanding its assets and capabilities there since 2024 as part of an effort to thwart Yemen’s Iranian-backed Houthis, who are targeting Israeli-linked commercial vehicles in the Red Sea in solidarity with Palestinians in Gaza.
According to the Council on Foreign Relations, there were approximately 40,000 U.S. military personnel in the region by June 2025.
In all, there are eight permanent U.S. military bases in Bahrain, Egypt, Iraq, Israel, Jordan, Kuwait, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Syria, and the United Arab Emirates.
Other US military facilities are in Oman and Turkiye.
On June 23, 2025, at the end of the 12-day Iran-Israel war, Iran bombed Al Udeid Air Base in Qatar, where US forces are stationed, in response to the US attack on Iran’s nuclear facilities the previous day. No deaths or injuries were recorded, and satellite images showed military planes evacuating in anticipation of an airstrike. Iran’s attack was seen primarily as a face-saving exercise.
What are the capabilities of the USS Abraham Lincoln and other assets?
USS Abraham Lincoln (CVN-72) serves as a mobile airfield and flagship for the U.S. Navy’s Carrier Strike Group 3. This operational formation includes several thousand people, perhaps 6,000 to 7,000 sailors and Marines.
At 333 meters (1,092 feet) long, it is one of the largest warships in the U.S. Navy. It is part of an elite class of 10 U.S. aircraft carriers that use nuclear reactors rather than diesel engines to power their propeller shafts. It can operate for decades without the need for fuel.
Despite her massive size, the USS Abraham Lincoln was designed to achieve extraordinary speeds for extended periods of time. It runs at over 35 mph (56 km/h), fast enough to maneuver quickly and evade attacks.
At least three destroyers (small, fast warships flanking larger ships as escort) are also known to be in the formation. These are the Arleigh Burke-class missile destroyers, all-steel ships capable of firing Tomahawk missiles for land attacks and providing ballistic missile defense. All three ships belong to the destroyer force assigned to USS Abraham Lincoln – 21st Destroyer Squadron.
The destroyers are:
USS Frank E. Petersen Jr. with advanced missile launch systems. USS Spruance is known for its powerful radar and sensor systems. It is also equipped with several missiles, including Spruance’s new anti-submarine missile USS Michael Murphy.
Carrier attack formations typically also include a cruiser, an attack submarine, and a supply ship.
The USS Mobile Bay guided missile cruiser is used to launch missiles and detect incoming threats, and is typically deployed alongside the USS Abraham Lincoln. However, it is unclear whether the ship arrived with the fleet this time.
The aviation unit assigned to the USS Abraham Lincoln, Carrier Air Wing 9, or nicknamed Shogun, was involved in multiple U.S. strikes against the Houthis in Yemen in 2024. The group has eight to nine squadrons and approximately 65 fighter aircraft, primarily attack fighters such as the F/A-18E Super Hornet, a fast, single-seat attack fighter used for precision strike, reconnaissance, and refueling missions.
What happened during the June 2025 attack?
On the night of June 22, 2025, the U.S. military simultaneously attacked three Iranian nuclear facilities during a sophisticated mission dubbed Operation Midnight Hammer involving 4,000 military personnel.
Iran’s sites in Fordow, Natanz, and Isfahan have all suffered significant damage, and the United States assesses that Iran’s nuclear capabilities are severely hampered.
Fordow, an underground enrichment facility built deep in the mountains, was attacked by 12 massive ordnance penetrator (MOP) or “bunker buster” bombs dropped by seven B-2 stealth bombers. The 13,000 kg (28,700 lb) GBU-57 MOP is the most powerful bunker-buster bomb, capable of penetrating 60 m (200 ft) underground and dropping up to 2,400 kg (5,300 lb) of explosives, but the bomber is difficult to detect thanks to its special shape and radar-absorbing material that reduces reflections.
Two MOPs at Natanz, Iran’s second largest enrichment facility, were also damaged.
Isfahan, a research facility, was targeted by more than two dozen Tomahawk missiles fired from a US submarine, believed to be the USS Georgia.
President Trump revealed that F-35 and F-22 fighter jets also violated Iranian airspace in anticipation of Iranian retaliatory strikes. A total of 125 aircraft participated in the mission. All were able to evacuate before Iran responded with a surprise bombing raid.
This was the first time the United States launched an attack on mainland Iran. In January 2020, the United States targeted and assassinated Iranian Major General Qasem Soleimani in a drone strike while he was near Baghdad airport in neighboring Iraq.
Days before the June 2025 attack on Iran, the media reported that U.S. military assets were acting abnormally. For example, on June 21, the United States deployed six B-2 stealth bombers toward Guam, but this was later revealed to be a decoy mission to maintain an element of surprise.
Two carrier strike groups, accompanied by the carrier USS Carl Vinson and the USS Nimitz, were also stationed in the Arabian Sea ahead of the attack. Meanwhile, the Arleigh Burke-class missile destroyer USS Thomas Hudner moved to the eastern Mediterranean.
How prepared is the United States for a new attack on Iran?
Analysts say a new military buildup off the coast of Iran could signal an impending, though perhaps limited, attack on Iran, which would likely be directed at the Iranian government following this month’s brutal crackdown on protesters.
Elie Geranmae of the European Council on Foreign Relations told Al Jazeera that Trump could justify such attacks, and possibly even regime change, by claiming the United States wants to protect civilians. However, he added, the risks of military intervention are high and there is no guarantee that Iranians will be better off as a result.
“If the United States launches a major attack, perhaps in the final stages of regime change, the Iranian government will likely increase the direct costs to President Trump in an election year by targeting American troops stationed across the Middle East,” she said.
Geranmae warned that while Iran would suffer from a U.S. attack, it also has the ability to harm the U.S. and its allies, particularly by attacking oil facilities and cutting off international shipping lanes. He said Iran could also attack U.S. allies such as Israel.
Although the Iranian government chose not to escalate the conflict after the June 2025 attack, there is no guarantee it will do the same again, the analyst added.
“If domestic ground pressure and air bombing pose an unprecedented existential threat to regime stability, the Islamic Republic is likely to play all its cards before it loses,” she added.
However, Ali Baez of the International Crisis Group told Al Jazeera that the attack may never happen at all because human rights justifications are not timely.
“It’s hard to imagine that a strike is imminent. The protests have already been crushed,” he said. He added that a military strike against Iran would be costly, but the ultimate goal of such a costly intervention for the United States is not clear.
Baez agreed that if diplomatic channels fail and the situation escalates, Iran’s population of 92 million will likely bear the brunt of military action.
“The regime or its remnants may survive and become more repressive towards its own people and more aggressive in the region,” he said.
