As President Donald Trump says he has “at most 10 to 15 days” to reach a deal over Iran’s nuclear program and ballistic missile inventory, Washington is ramping up its vast military assets in the Middle East.
Important force multipliers such as the E-3 Sentry Airborne Warning and Control System (AWACS) aircraft are also deployed, as is the world’s largest aircraft carrier, the USS Gerald R. Ford, which will reportedly join the Abraham Lincoln Carrier Strike Group in the Arabian Sea.
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In a letter to the U.N. Security Council, Iran said it “does not seek tension or war and has no intention of starting one,” but said it would respond “firmly and proportionately” to any U.S. aggression.
“The United States assumes full and direct responsibility for any unpredictable and uncontrollable consequences.”
Here’s what we know about the recent deployment of U.S. military assets in the Middle East. This also led to a conflict with Britain over the use of the joint military base at Diego Garcia.
What air power assets has the United States deployed in the Middle East?
The United States appears to have deployed more than 120 aircraft to the region in the past few days, the largest increase in U.S. air power in the Middle East since the 2003 Iraq war, according to open-source intelligence analysts and military flight-tracking data.
Reported deployments include the E-3 Sentry Airborne Warning and Control System (AWACS) aircraft, the F-35 stealth attack fighter, and the F-22 air superiority fighter, along with the F-15 and F-16. Flight-tracking data shows a number of bases in the U.S. and Europe have departed with the support of cargo planes and aerial refueling tankers, indicating continuous operational plans rather than routine rotations.
F-22s and F-35s previously escorted B-2 stealth bombers during Operation Midnight Hammer, a U.S. military strike against Iranian nuclear facilities ordered by President Trump in June 2025 during the 12-day conflict between Iran and Israel.
“Look at the B-2 movement. It would indicate a possible repeat of ‘Midnight Hammer,'” Mark Cancian, a former Marine Corps colonel and senior adviser at the Washington-based think tank Center for Strategic and International Studies, told Al Jazeera.
This latest wave was preceded by the arrival of the Air Force F-15E Strike Eagle several weeks ago. U.S. Central Command said on social media at the time that the jets would “strengthen combat readiness and promote regional security and stability.”
What role can Diego Garcia and the UK play?
Attention is also focused on Diego Garcia, a joint Anglo-American military base in the Chagos Islands in the Indian Ocean that can host long-range strategic bombers from the United States, including B-2 aircraft.
This remote base has historically served as the launching pad for major U.S. air operations in the region.
However, Diego Garcia is British sovereign territory leased to Washington, meaning London must approve its use for offensive operations. According to British media reports, Prime Minister Keir Starmer suggested to President Trump that the use of Royal Air Force bases, including the UK’s Diego Garcia and RAF Fairford, home to the US heavy bomber fleet in Europe, to attack Iran would be against international law and could not be used.
President Trump retaliated by withdrawing U.S. support for Britain’s decision to transfer the Chagos Islands to Mauritius, announced last year.
On Wednesday, the US president said Mr Starmer was making a “big mistake” with the deal to transfer sovereignty over the archipelago.
“Don’t let Diego Garcia go!” President Trump said in a post on Truth Social that the base could be called upon in future military operations to counter potential attacks from Iran.
What do we know about U.S. warships in the Arabian Sea?
The world’s largest aircraft carrier, the USS Gerald R. Ford, is currently redeployed from the Caribbean to the Middle East.
The aircraft carrier and accompanying strike group are expected to arrive in the region in the coming weeks.
On Wednesday, it briefly transmitted its position off the coast of Morocco, suggesting it could cross the Atlantic Ocean toward the Strait of Gibraltar and then enter the Mediterranean Sea.
This is the same ship that previously supported U.S. military operations in Venezuela, including missions conducted under Operation Southern Spear.
The USS Gerald R. Ford has joined the USS Abraham Lincoln Carrier Strike Group and is operating in the Arabian Sea off the coast of Oman, according to recent satellite images, putting U.S. naval forces within range of Iran.
The US Navy also has several guided missile destroyers in the region equipped with advanced air defense and anti-ballistic missile systems. These multi-purpose ships can carry and fire Tomahawk cruise missiles that can strike land targets deep in Iran, alongside anti-submarine and fleet defense missions.
How is Iran responding?
Iran has publicly warned that any military attack by the United States would be considered a serious provocation.
Tehran is also proceeding with its own planned military operations. On Thursday, it announced the start of joint naval exercises with Russia in the Sea of Oman and the northern Indian Ocean. These are aimed at strengthening maritime cooperation and signal deterrence in the face of increasing US pressure.
As part of these operations, Iranian authorities issued a Notice to Airmen Regarding Rocket Launches (NOTAM) over southern Iran from 3:30 to 13:30 GMT on Thursday, and temporarily closed part of the Strait of Hormuz, a strategically important shipping route, during live-fire training.
Meanwhile, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov also warned that a US attack on Iran would have serious repercussions, and emphasized the risk of escalation if hostilities widen.
Satellite images published by Reuters on Thursday show Iran has recently erected a concrete shield and covered it with earth over a new facility at a key military site, working on the site of an alleged Israeli bombing in 2024, experts said.
The images also show that Iran has filled in a tunnel entrance at a nuclear facility bombed by the United States during Israel and Iran’s 12-day war last year, strengthened another nearby tunnel entrance and repaired a missile base that was attacked in the conflict.
Analytical reports also suggest that Iran is building a multi-layered defense system centered on mines, missiles, submarines and drones aimed at slowing the movements of the US military.
Some analysts say Iran may be trying to avoid an immediate full-scale conflict, but that may be difficult.
“Over the past six months, Iran has quietly taken additional steps to move its critical assets further underground,” Vali Nasr, a professor of international affairs and Middle East studies at Johns Hopkins University, said in a roundtable discussion hosted by the CSIS Middle East Program this week.
“They’re going to be unpredictable,” he said. “But I think they may want to act big from the get-go and drag the United States into a prolonged situation.
“If it hits a tanker, hits an oil facility, hits an American ship, it’s up to President Trump to decide whether to escalate further. And it could go beyond that.
“We are in a scenario where this could quickly get out of control,” Nasr added.
Could the US attack Iran?
According to experts, it’s a very real possibility.
“The United States is doing everything it would do if it were to carry out any kind of attack,” Cancian told Al Jazeera. “We have moved aircraft, two aircraft carriers, and enablers like AWACS into the region.”
Barbara Slavi, a distinguished fellow at the Stimson Center, agreed with this assessment. “It appears that the Trump administration has decided to attack Iran again, perhaps in coordination with Israel,” she said.
“We haven’t yet seen what the purpose is. Can it be contained? Will others be drawn in? These are all very important questions and we don’t have the answers.”
Is this a similar situation to what we saw in Venezuela earlier this year?
The buildup of U.S. military assets in the Caribbean near Venezuela, which began in September 2025, led to multiple attacks on Venezuelan fishing vessels that the U.S. claimed without evidence were carrying drugs. The incident culminated in the dramatic Jan. 3 raid in Caracas by U.S. forces and the abduction of then-President Nicolas Maduro, who is currently on trial in New York on gun and drug charges.
“While there are similarities in the buildups (in the Arabian Sea), one key difference is the strategic context,” Cancian said.
“Unlike the Venezuela attack, there was no large-scale deployment of special operations forces, and Iran’s landlocked and heavily defended geography makes a quick ground assault unlikely.
“If an attack were to occur, we would expect long-range missile attacks against security forces such as the Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps. Attacks on nuclear facilities are also possible, but missiles like the Tomahawk would only damage ground facilities,” he added.
Secretary of State Marco Rubio is scheduled to visit Israel on February 28 and meet with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, a State Department official said.
Last summer, the United States carried out airstrikes on Iran’s nuclear facilities even as senior U.S. diplomats were scheduled to meet with the negotiating Iranian side.
