US ramps up Middle East forces amid Iran strike considerations

Monday 19 January 2026 - 09:20

By: Dakir Madiha

US ramps up Middle East forces amid Iran strike considerations

The United States is speeding up its military buildup in the Middle East as President Donald Trump weighs strike options against Iran. The USS Abraham Lincoln carrier strike group will soon enter the U.S. Central Command's area, with additional fighters deploying to the region. This escalation unfolds against heightened tensions, fueled by weeks of anti-government protests in Iran and sharp rhetoric between Trump and Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.

The nuclear-powered USS Abraham Lincoln, flanked by guided-missile destroyers USS Spruance and USS Michael Murphy, has passed through the Malacca Strait and heads for CENTCOM's operational zone in five to seven days. Twelve U.S. Air Force F-15E Strike Eagles departed RAF Lakenheath in the United Kingdom this weekend bound for Jordan's Muwaffaq Salti Air Base, with more aircraft en route. U.S. officials told the Jerusalem Post that "all options are on the table," building a force to give Trump broad military choices. Cargo planes have landed at the American base on Diego Garcia.

The repositioning marks a shift after many U.S. assets moved to the Caribbean and East Asia following Israel's "12-day war" against Iran last June. Speculation swirls around a direct hit on Khamenei. Former U.S. Ambassador to Israel Dan Shapiro predicted Trump might try to kill the supreme leader soon, citing Trump's Politico comments on needing new Iranian leadership and Khamenei's X provocations. Trump called the 86-year-old Khamenei a "sick man who should lead his country properly and stop killing people."

Iranian President Massoud Pezeshkian warned that any attack on Khamenei equates to "total war against the Iranian nation." Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu urged Trump in midweek calls to delay action, citing Israel's unreadiness for Iranian retaliation without ample U.S. support. Shapiro cautioned that eliminating Khamenei falls short of regime change, likely handing power to the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps. Analyst Raz Zimmt told the Jerusalem Post a strike wouldn't boost overthrow odds.

Senator Lindsey Graham, after meeting Netanyahu and Mossad chief David Barnea in Israel on Sunday, backed expanding any operation's scope. "President Trump's resolve is not in question," Graham said. "The issue is: when we conduct an operation like this, should it be bigger or smaller? I'm for bigger."