U.S. accelerates military buildup in Middle East as tensions with Iran rise

• US lands F/A-18s on Abraham Lincoln and deploys dozens of fighter jets and tankers to the Middle East as tensions with Iran rise.

The U.S. military has rapidly increased its presence in the Middle East, deploying dozens of fighter and tanker aircraft and landing F/A-18 Super Hornets on the aircraft carrier Abraham Lincoln in the Arabian Sea, amid ongoing talks with Iran over its nuclear program.

While it remains unclear whether the U.S. will launch an attack, a significant military buildup is underway. Fighter jets and munitions have been moved to bases in Europe and the Middle East, echoing deployments used during the June 2025 strike on Iran.

Read more: 'Israel' on alert as US and 'Israel prepare for possible major strike on Iran

Naval deployments

The U.S. Navy added another warship to its Middle East force in recent days, while a second carrier strike group is en route, bringing additional fighter jets and missiles.

Much of the naval force is operating in the Arabian Sea, including the aircraft carrier USS Abraham Lincoln and its strike group, guided-missile destroyers USS Spruance, USS Frank E. Petersen Jr., and USS Michael Murphy. The Lincoln carries dozens of aircraft, including F-35 stealth fighters, electronic attack jets, and early warning planes. The destroyers are equipped with Tomahawk cruise missiles.

Additional destroyers, USS Mitscher, USS McFaul, and USS Pinckney, are also in the Arabian Sea, while USS Delbert D. Black is in the Red Sea. Littoral combat ships USS Santa Barbara, USS Tulsa, and USS Canberra operate in the Arabian Gulf.

In Europe, USS Roosevelt and USS Bulkeley patrol the Eastern Mediterranean, joined by the aircraft carrier USS Gerald R. Ford and its strike group, USS Mahan, USS Winston S. Churchill, and USS Bainbridge, recently ordered from the Caribbean.

Air assets deployed

Open-source tracking shows six F-22 fighter jets arrived at RAF Lakenheath in the U.K., alongside an RC-135 Rivet Joint signal intelligence aircraft from Qatar to Crete. Eighteen F-35 jets departed RAF Lakenheath on February 16 with refueling tankers, and two E-3 Sentry AWACS aircraft were sent to RAF Mildenhall. P-8 Poseidon maritime patrol aircraft continue to operate near the Strait of Hormuz.

Rising tensions with Iran

The U.S. buildup comes after indirect talks with Iran in Geneva, as President Trump presses Tehran on its nuclear and military programs. Trump warned that failure to reach an agreement could lead to a “worse attack” than past operations. Iran has conducted military exercises in the Strait of Hormuz, threatening U.S. warships in the event of conflict.

Historical context

The redeployment of U.S. carriers and destroyers from the Caribbean, where forces were once positioned near Venezuela, has reduced the naval presence there. This dual-carrier deployment in the Middle East is rare and reflects preparations for a possible sustained military campaign.