NYT: US moves more weapons into Middle East ahead of potential Iran strikes

The United States has accelerated a major military buildup in the Middle East, positioning forces that could enable President Donald Trump to launch strikes on Iran as early as this weekend, according to administration and Pentagon officials.

The deployment comes as indirect diplomatic talks continue, leaving the White House facing a stark choice between renewed conflict and negotiation, Caliber.Az reports via foreign media.

Trump has given no public signal that he has reached a decision. Officials say preparations to assemble a force capable of targeting Iran’s nuclear facilities, missile infrastructure and launch sites have intensified, even as Tehran seeks two weeks to refine its proposals following talks in Geneva, which concluded with agreement on a “set of guiding principles.”

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has pushed for action to degrade Iran’s missile capabilities. Israeli defence officials said preparations are underway for a possible joint strike, though no final decision has been taken. Planning scenarios reportedly involve a sustained campaign over several days to compel Tehran to make concessions.

The US buildup includes more than 50 additional fighter jets, dozens of aerial refuelling tankers, and two aircraft carrier strike groups. The USS Gerald R. Ford is expected to join the USS Abraham Lincoln in the eastern Mediterranean, potentially near Israel’s coastline to bolster air defences.

Patriot missile batteries and Terminal High Altitude Area Defence (THAAD) systems have been deployed to protect US troops and assets. Additional F-35, F-22 and F-16 jets have moved from US bases to Europe and onward to the Middle East, supported by refuelling aircraft. US-based long-range bombers, including B-2s used last year, are on heightened alert.

“The president has always been very clear, though, with respect to Iran or any country around the world, diplomacy is always his first option, and Iran would be very wise to make a deal with President Trump and with this administration,” said White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt.

Trump, who campaigned on avoiding new wars, is weighing what would be at least the seventh US military action abroad in the past year and his second against Iran. Senior officials caution that any operation to destabilise Iran’s leadership carries no guarantee of success.

Vali Nasr, an Iran expert at Johns Hopkins University, said: “Diplomacy may give the U.S. more time to get its military ready, but it also gives Iran more time to plan its retaliation. Ultimately, the president has to weigh the cost of attacking Iran. Ironically, his approach has made those costs more likely.”

By Aghakazim Guliyev