An F-35C Lightning II, attached to Marine Fighter Attack Squadron 314, prepares to launch from the flight deck of Nimitz-class aircraft carrier USS Abraham Lincoln (CVN 72) in the Arabian Sea, on Feb. 15, 2026. Mass Communication Specialist Seaman Daniel Kimmelman/ U.S. Navy via DVIDS
Over the past month, the U.S. military has amassed dozens of strike capabilities in the Middle East as President Donald Trump demands the Iranian regime submit to new security constraints.
The timing of the U.S. force expansion in the region has been no coincidence. As negotiations have played out, the Trump administration has repeatedly invoked the June 2025 U.S. strikes on Iran’s nuclear facilities and warned that military action remains on the table if Tehran doesn’t make sufficient concessions.