The United States is increasing its military assets across the Middle East as the second round of indirect nuclear negotiations with Iran concluded in Geneva. Officials described the talks as constructive, with both sides agreeing to further discussions. The buildup includes aircraft carrier strike groups and numerous warships and aircraft.
The United States has rapidly expanded its military footprint in the Middle East to exert pressure on Iran, even as the second round of indirect nuclear talks wrapped up in Geneva this week. Representatives from both countries held discussions on Tuesday, February 17, 2026, committing to additional meetings in the coming weeks to address Iran's nuclear program. Iran's Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi described the meeting as constructive, noting some progress but emphasizing that more work remains. The Trump administration seeks to ensure Iran has no nuclear weapons and zero uranium enrichment, while Iran maintains its right to enrich uranium for research and civilian purposes.
Despite the reported progress, the U.S. has amassed over a dozen warships and hundreds of planes in the region. At the core of this buildup are two aircraft carrier strike groups. The USS Gerald R. Ford, the world's largest warship, is en route from the Caribbean and was spotted off Morocco's coast on Wednesday morning, February 18, 2026, heading toward the Strait of Gibraltar. It carries a full combat air wing including F/A-18 Super Hornets, EA-18G Growlers, E-2D Hawkeye aircraft, and Seahawk helicopters, supported by destroyers USS Bainbridge, USS Mahan, and USS Winston S. Churchill. The USS Abraham Lincoln strike group, which arrived in the Arabian Sea last month after transiting from the South China Sea, is positioned about 700 kilometers from Iran as of Tuesday. It fields roughly 90 aircraft, including F-35C stealth fighters, Super Hornets, Growlers, and Hawkeyes, with accompanying destroyers USS Frank E. Petersen Jr. and USS Spruance.
Additional U.S. warships are deployed across key areas: in the Mediterranean Sea, USS Roosevelt and USS Bulkeley; in the Red Sea, USS Delbert D. Black; in the Arabian Sea, USS McFaul; and in the Persian Gulf, USS Mitscher, USS Michael Murphy, USS Canberra, USS Santa Barbara, and USS Tulsa. Air assets include numerous F-22s and two E-3 Sentry AWACS in the United Kingdom, seven KC-135 Stratotankers heading to Crete, 12 F-16 Falcons departing Italy, six F-35s leaving Spain, and an RC-135 Rivet Joint arriving in Crete. In the Middle East, over 50 F-15 and EA-18 jets have arrived at Jordan's Muwaffaq Salti base, with cargo flights by C-17s and C-5Ms ongoing from mid-January through Wednesday. Behnam Ben Taleblu of the Foundation for Defense of Democracies noted that Iran aims to dilute U.S. resolve for potential strikes and internal protester momentum, amid continued regime crackdowns on dissent.
