US Deploys Over 50+ Fighter Jets Including F-22s, F-35s, F-16s To Middle East Amid Escalating Tensions

New Delhi: The United States has bolstered its military footprint in the Middle East by moving over 50 advanced fighter jets—including F-35s, F-22s, and F-16s—to the region.

Axios first reported the buildup, citing a US official who confirmed the aircraft movements.

A US official told Axios that “more than 50 fighter jets have been moved to the region in the past 24 hours,” underscoring the scale and speed of the deployment.

Independent flight trackers reportedly observed several advanced aircraft, including F-16, F-22 and F-35 fighter jets, heading toward the region.

Negotiations between Washington and Tehran

This buildup serves as a show of force as indirect nuclear negotiations between Washington and Tehran continue in Geneva.

While both sides have reported progress on a set of "guiding principles," the deployment underscores a policy of maximum pressure as the U.S. seeks significant concessions on Iran's nuclear program.

This deployment is part of a larger plan by the U.S. to grow its military power in the area as worries over Iran's nuclear program and regional safety increase. Along with the extra planes, more warships are moving into the region to show the U.S. is ready for anything while diplomatic talks continue.

US increases military presence

Last week, Trump said the USS Gerald R. Ford, the world’s largest aircraft carrier, was being sent to the Mideast. It will join the USS Abraham Lincoln and its accompanying guided-missile destroyers, which have been in the region for three weeks.

The USS Gerald R. Ford and its escort of three destroyers are now in the mid-Atlantic after being ordered to depart the Caribbean for the Middle East last week, a Navy official confirmed Tuesday.

Iran supreme leader's warning

Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei meanwhile warned that “the strongest army in the world might sometimes receive such a slap that it cannot get back on its feet."

Responding to repeated American assertions of military superiority, Khamenei said, “The US President keeps saying that they have the strongest military force in the world. The strongest military force in the world may at times be struck so hard that it cannot get up again."

Closure of Strait of Hormuz

In a major show of force, Iran temporarily closed the Strait of Hormuz on Tuesday to conduct live-fire military drills. This unprecedented move took place just as Iranian officials were holding another round of indirect nuclear talks with the United States in Geneva.

This is the first time Iran has shut down the strategic waterway—where 20% of the world's oil is transported—since the U.S. began increasing its military presence in the region. While it is still being confirmed if the strait was fully blocked, the move has significantly raised fears of a potential conflict in the Middle East.

High-stakes diplomacy

Following high-stakes nuclear negotiations between Washington and Tehran, Iran would return in the next two weeks with detailed proposals to address the gaps, a United States official said. 

The US official noted that progress was made on the nuclear deal. 
"Progress was made, but there are still a lot of details to discuss. The Iranians said they would come back in the next two weeks with detailed proposals to address some of the open gaps in our positions," the official said. 

According to reports cited by ANI and the Associated Press, US envoy Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner are leading the American delegation, with Oman acting as mediator. 

Iranian nuclera deal

The Iranian nuclear deal dates back to July 2015, when the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) was signed between Iran and several world powers, including the United States, which capped Tehran's enrichment level at 3.67 per cent and reduced its uranium stockpile to 300 kilograms. 

The deal collapsed in 2018 with Trump's unilateral withdrawal of the US from the accord. 

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