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| The USS Abraham Lincoln aircraft carrier, accompanied by other naval vessels, sails in formation through the Arabian Sea |
The U.S. military is significantly ramping up its air and naval presence in the Middle East as talks over a potential deal with Iran continue in Geneva. According to multiple sources familiar with the situation, this buildup is intended both to pressure Tehran during negotiations and to maintain options for military action if talks over Iran’s nuclear program fail.
U.S. Air Force assets stationed in the United Kingdom—including fighter jets and refueling tankers—are being repositioned closer to the region, sources say.
In addition, air defense systems are being deployed to the Middle East, and several U.S. military units already in the area, previously scheduled to rotate out, have had their deployments extended. Dozens of U.S. cargo planes have moved equipment to Jordan, Bahrain, and Saudi Arabia in recent weeks, according to flight-tracking data.
On Friday evening, multiple fighter aircraft received diplomatic clearance to enter Jordanian airspace. Satellite images show that 12 U.S. F-15 fighter jets have been stationed at Jordan’s Muwaffaq Salti Air Base since January 25.
Open-source flight data shows that the U.S. has conducted more than 250 cargo flights into the region in recent weeks.
These deployments came ahead of talks in Geneva on Tuesday, where Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said the meeting resulted in an agreement on “guiding principles” for future negotiations. Both sides plan to exchange drafts for a potential deal, though no timeline has been set.
“We have reached understandings on the guiding principles, but the drafting and writing phase of the agreement will be more difficult,” Araghchi said. “Right now we have a much clearer picture of what work needs to happen and what work needs to continue. Both sides still have work to do to get closer, but at least now we have a framework and a clearer path forward.”
Meanwhile, President Donald Trump has continued to threaten military action against Iran, warning last month that he was prepared to strike if Iranian authorities did not stop killing protesters. On Friday, he added that he believes regime change “would be the best thing that could happen” in the country.