US Show of Force : Fighter Jets and Missile Destroyers Move Into Gulf as Iran Tensions Rise

US Show of Force : In late January, US President Donald Trump stated that “very big, very powerful” ships were on their way to Iran, and that America hoped not to have to use them. As Trump weighs a big strike on Iran, a slew of US military assets have been deployed to the Middle East.

US Show of Force : Iran Responds to Growing US Military Presence

In the midst of a potential confrontation with the United States, Iran has stated that it does not understand the language of force. Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi admitted on Sunday that the US was constructing a naval fleet in the region, but claimed, “Their military deployment in the region does not scare us.”

Additional Warships and Troop Deployment

At the end of January, the United States moved 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 in response to rising tensions with Iran.

In a show of force, the US Navy released photographs on X of the Lincoln carrier group traveling in the Arabian Sea with aircraft flying overhead, with the message “Peace through Strength!”

The carrier joined three additional US Navy warships, two of which are now traveling near the Strait of Hormuz and one in the Red Sea.

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Along with the carrier, some 5,700 more service personnel arrived.

If Iran deploys such armaments, three littoral combat ships in the Persian Gulf – the USS Santa Barbara, USS Canberra, and USS Tulsa – could be called upon to conduct minesweeping.

US and Allied Air Power Reinforced in the Region

The US Central Command revealed on social media that the Air Force F-15E Strike Eagle is currently stationed in the Middle East, stating that the fighter jet “enhances combat readiness and promotes regional security and stability.”

Last week, the UK Ministry of Defence said that its Typhoon fighter jets had been sent to Qatar “in a defensive capacity”.

The BBC claimed last week that a dozen F-15 fighter jets, a MQ-9 Reaper combat drone, and three A-10C Thunderbolt II ground assault aircraft had arrived at Muwaffaq Salti Air Base in Jordan.

Surveillance Aircraft and Missile Defence Systems Deployed

According to the British journal, satellite footage revealed that the guided-missile destroyer USS Delbert D Black was cruising via Egypt’s Suez Canal from the Mediterranean to the Red Sea, while a US Navy MQ-4C Triton surveillance drone was operating above the Gulf.

Previously, an E-11A communications aircraft, a P-8 Poseidon, and an E-3G Sentry observation and reconnaissance plane were reported in the region.

Along with this, the region has a number of air defense systems, including more Terminal High Altitude Area Defence (THAAD) systems and a Patriot missile system stationed at Al Udeid Air Base in Qatar last month, as visible in satellite imagery.

The operation is similar to when the United States deployed air defense systems, such as a Patriot missile system, in preparation for an Iranian reprisal following the destruction of three critical nuclear sites. Days after the strikes, Iran launched more than a dozen missiles at Al Udeid Air Base.

Strait of Hormuz Advisory and Trump’s Warning to Iran

As tensions between Washington and Tehran remained high over Iran’s nuclear program, the US issued new guidelines to commercial vessels traversing the Strait of Hormuz, a critical shipping path for Middle Eastern oil supplies.

The US Department of Transportation’s Maritime Administration encouraged US-flagged commercial vessels to keep as far away from Iran’s territorial seas as possible and to verbally deny Iranian forces’ permission to board if asked.

Trump has threatened to strike Iran following a US naval buildup in the region, demanding that it abandon uranium enrichment, which might lead to nuclear weapons, as well as end ballistic missile development and assistance for armed groups in the region. Tehran has repeatedly rejected plans to weaponise nuclear fuel production.