- US deployed USS Abraham Lincoln and destroyers to Arabian Sea amid Iran tensions
- UK deployed Typhoon jets to Qatar for defensive purposes amid rising tensions
- US issued guidance to commercial vessels to avoid Iran’s waters near Strait of Hormuz
US President Donald Trump said in late January that "very big, very powerful" ships were sailing to Iran and that America hoped to not have to use them. As Trump considers a major strike on Iran, a host of US military assets have been sent to the Middle East.
Amid the threat of war with the US, Iran has said that it does not understand the language of force. Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi on Sunday acknowledged that the US was building its military fleet in the region but insisted, "Their military deployment in the region does not scare us."
The US sent its aircraft carrier, the USS Abraham Lincoln, and three guided-missile destroyers – the USS Frank E. Petersen Jr, the USS Michael Murphy, and the USS Spruance – to the Arabian Sea at the end of January amid increasing tensions with Iran.
In a display of force, the US military published photos on X of the Lincoln carrier group sailing in the Arabian Sea with aircraft flying overhead, with the message "Peace through Strength!"
Nimitz-class aircraft carrier USS Abraham Lincoln transiting the Arabian Sea IN 2012
Photo Credit: AFP
The carrier joined three other US Navy destroyers, two of which are currently sailing near the Strait of Hormuz and another in the Red Sea.
Along with the carrier, roughly 5,700 additional service members arrived.
There are also three littoral combat ships in the Persian Gulf – USS Santa Barbara, USS Canberra and USS Tulsa – that could be called for minesweeping if Iran deploys such armaments.
The US Central Command announced on social media that the Air Force F-15E Strike Eagle now has a presence in the Mideast, noting the fighter jet "enhances combat readiness and promotes regional security and stability."
An F-15E Strike Eagle taking off during a “Turkey Shoot” training mission on Seymour Johnson Air Force Base on April 16, 2012.
Photo Credit: AFP
The UK Ministry of Defence said last week that it deployed its Typhoon fighter jets to Qatar "in a defensive capacity".
Last week, the BBC reported that a dozen F-15 fighter jets, an MQ-9 Reaper combat drone, and several A-10C Thunderbolt II ground attack aircraft had arrived at Muwaffaq Salti Air Base in Jordan.
The British publication said it analysed satellite imagery that showed the guided-missile destroyer ship, USS Delbert D Black, was sailing through the Suez Canal in Egypt from the Mediterranean to the Red Sea, and a US Navy MQ-4C Triton surveillance drone was operating over the Gulf.
Read | Khamenei Breaks 37-Year-Old Ritual For 1st Time Amid Trump's Attack Threat
The presence of an E-11A communications aircraft, a P-8 Poseidon and E-3G Sentry surveillance and reconnaissance planes was also reported in the region earlier.
Along with these, there are various air defence systems deployed in the region, including additional Terminal High Altitude Area Defence (THAAD) systems and the Patriot missile system stationed at Al Udeid Air Base in Qatar last month that was seen in a satellite image.
The activity is similar to when the US moved in air defence hardware, like a Patriot missile system, in anticipation of an Iranian counterattack following the bombing of three key nuclear sites. Iran launched over a dozen missiles at Al Udeid Air Base days after the strikes.
Read | US Military Bases In The Gulf Under Iran's Ballistic Missile Shadow
The United States issued fresh guidance on Monday to commercial vessels transiting the Strait of Hormuz, a key shipping lane for Middle East oil supplies, as tensions simmered between Washington and Tehran over Iran's nuclear program.
The US Department of Transportation's Maritime Administration advised US-flagged commercial vessels to stay as far from Iran's territorial waters as possible and to verbally decline Iranian forces permission to board if asked, according to the guidance.
Trump has threatened to strike Iran after a US naval buildup in the region, demanding that it renounce uranium enrichment, a possible pathway to nuclear bombs, as well as stopping ballistic missile development and support for armed groups around the region. Tehran has long denied any intent to weaponise nuclear fuel production.
