US Military Buildup Near Iran Raises Fears of Possible Strike

The United States has sharply increased its military presence near Iran, prompting speculation that Washington will be preparing options for a possible strike, even as officials stress that no final decision has been made.

In recent days, more than 110 C-17 transport aircraft have either arrived in or were en route to the region, according to analysts monitoring military activity. 

At the same time, the USS Abraham Lincoln carrier strike group was operating in the Arabian Sea. 

The armada is led by USS Abraham Lincoln, one of the US Navy’s 10 nuclear-powered Nimitz-class aircraft carriers, considered the largest category of warships in the world.

Analysts say the speed and scale of the deployment suggest preparation for multiple contingencies rather than routine force movement.

Senior US envoys and top military commanders have also visited forward-deployed forces, adding to speculation over Washington’s intentions as tensions with Tehran remain high.

'Military formations don't scare us': FM of Iran

President Donald Trump has threatened to strike Iran, demanding that it abandon uranium enrichment, halt ballistic missile development, and end support for armed groups across the region. Uranium enrichment is seen by Washington as a possible pathway to nuclear weapons, though Iran has long denied any intent to weaponise its nuclear programme.

While both sides have signalled readiness to revive diplomacy over Iran’s long-running nuclear dispute with the West, Tehran has made it clear that talks cannot be expanded beyond the nuclear issue.

However, amidst that build-up, Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi clarified that "their military formation in the region would not scare us."

"Why have we always insisted on enrichment and continue to do so, even if war is imposed on us? Because nobody is allowed to tell us what we should possess and what we shouldn't," he said at the National Conference of Foreign Policy.

His remarks came just after negotiations with the United States over its nuclear programme and in the wake of nationwide protests.

Iranian officials have also ruled out putting their missile programme, one of the largest arsenals in the Middle East, on the negotiating table and insist on recognition of Iran’s right to enrich uranium.

Netanyahu To Meet Trump To discuss Iran

Iranian and US officials recently held indirect nuclear talks in Muscat, with both sides indicating that further discussions could take place soon. The talks come amid rising regional tensions and heightened military activity.

Meanwhile, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is expected to meet President Trump in Washington on Wednesday. Netanyahu’s office said the discussions would include negotiations with Iran, highlighting close US-Israeli coordination on the issue.

As military deployments continue alongside cautious diplomatic engagement, analysts say the coming days will be critical in determining whether the standoff moves toward renewed negotiations or a deeper confrontation in an already volatile region.

Decades of Tense Relations Between Iran and the US

Iran was once one of the U.S.’s top allies in the Mideast under Shah Mohammad Reza Pahlavi, who purchased American military weapons and allowed CIA technicians to run secret listening posts monitoring the neighboring Soviet Union. The CIA had fomented a 1953 coup that cemented the shah’s rule.

But in January 1979, the shah, fatally ill with cancer, fled Iran as mass demonstrations swelled against his rule. The Islamic Revolution followed, led by Grand Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini, and created Iran’s theocratic government.

Later that year, university students overran the U.S. Embassy in Tehran, seeking the shah’s extradition and sparking the 444-day hostage crisis that severed diplomatic relations between Iran and the U.S. The Iran-Iraq War of the 1980s saw the U.S. back Saddam Hussein. The “Tanker War” during that conflict saw the U.S. launch a one-day assault that crippled Iran at sea, while the U.S. later shot down an Iranian commercial airliner that the U.S. military said it mistook for a warplane.

Iran and the U.S. had seesawed between enmity and grudging diplomacy in the years since, with relations peaking when Tehran made the 2015 nuclear deal with world powers. But President Donald Trump unilaterally withdrew the U.S. from the accord in 2018, sparking tensions in the Mideast that persisted.

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