WSJ: US potential strikes on Iran not imminent, sources say

American officials say US airstrikes on Iran aren’t imminent, even as a substantial military buildup is underway in the Middle East.

The USS Abraham Lincoln aircraft carrier strike group has arrived in the region, accompanied by advanced F‑35 jets, but Pentagon planners are prioritising defensive measures over offensive action amid concerns about Iranian retaliation, officials tell The Wall Street Journal. 

“The air defense question is key—the extent to which we have sufficient materiel to ensure that our troops and assets in the region are going to be protected from some kind of Iranian retaliation,” said Suzanne Maloney, a former State Department official on Iran policy in both the Bush and Obama administrations.

While US forces could carry out limited airstrikes if ordered by the president, officials caution that a decisive attack—the type President Trump has asked the military to prepare—would likely trigger a proportional response from Iran. That potential for escalation has driven the Pentagon’s focus on bolstering regional defenses.

Currently, US military assets include destroyers equipped to intercept aerial threats. In addition, the Pentagon is deploying extra Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) batteries and Patriot missile systems to bases across Jordan, Kuwait, Bahrain, Saudi Arabia, and Qatar. THAAD systems can intercept ballistic missiles above the atmosphere, while Patriots are designed for lower-altitude, shorter-range threats.

The strengthened defensive posture is intended to protect Israeli, Arab allied, and US forces in the event of retaliation, while maintaining the option to act if the president orders strikes. US Central Command, which oversees forces in the region, declined to comment for this report.

By Sabina Mammadli