The U.S. military has assembled one of its most substantial concentrations of naval and air power in the Middle East in decades — a force structured not for a limited strike, but for sustained combat operations if ordered. While diplomats in Geneva trade proposals, the Pentagon has moved beyond a “show of force” to an operational footing that represents the largest concentration of U.S. air power in the region since the Iraq War era.

The math of a two-carrier war

Two carrier strike groups now anchor the alignment.

The USS Abraham Lincoln is operating in the Arabian Sea, supported by Arleigh Burke–class destroyers including the USS Spruance, USS Michael Murphy, USS Frank E. Petersen Jr., and USS Pinckney.

Transiting the Mediterranean is the USS Gerald R. Ford strike group, escorted by the USS Bainbridge and USS Mahan. Once the Ford arrives in theater, the Navy will establish a dual-carrier strike posture rarely seen outside of major conflict.

Under high-tempo conditions, a single carrier air wing can generate more than 100 sorties in a 24-hour period, depending on tanker support and target distance. With two carriers operating in parallel, planners can sustain continuous strike cycles — rotating decks so that aircraft are launching from one carrier while the other re-arms and recovers.

That posture allows for sustained pressure over multiple days rather than isolated waves.

Map of US naval ships in the Middle East. (Fox News )

Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner flew out to the USS Lincoln with Adam Cooper on Saturday, Feb. 7, 2026, according to officials. (CENTCOM/X)

Map shows where the U.S. is building up military forces near Iran. (Fox News )

Hardened targets, repeated strikes

The buildup comes as satellite imagery reveals Tehran accelerating defensive preparations.

Commercial imagery published in a report by the Institute for Science and International Security (ISIS) shows Iran reinforcing the Taleghan 2 facility at Parchin with fresh concrete and overburden. Similar hardening is underway at tunnel entrances near Natanz.

“The core issue is all these efforts would complicate the battle damage assessment (BDA) in a post-strike environment,” defense analyst Can Kasapoğlu said. Hardened subterranean targets require repeated “drill” strikes — multiple munitions on the same coordinates — followed by confirmation missions to determine whether facilities have been disabled.

That kind of campaign demands sustained sortie generation and deep munitions reserves.

WORLD’S LARGEST AIRCRAFT CARRIER HEADS TO MIDDLE EAST AS IRAN NUCLEAR TENSIONS SPIKE DRAMATICALLY

Suppression and strike depth

While the Department of Defense has not released exact aircraft numbers, the regional air presence has expanded significantly.

Advanced fighters, including F-22 Raptors and F-35 Lightning IIs, have been repositioned to regional hubs. These stealth platforms are designed to suppress air defense systems such as Iran’s S-300 and Bavar-373 batteries.

Once air defenses are degraded, aircraft such as F-15E Strike Eagles and carrier-based F/A-18 Super Hornets would conduct follow-on strikes against missile infrastructure, command nodes and IRGC facilities.

Satellite imagery shows the underlying structure of the rebuilt Taleghan 2 facility at Iran’s Parchin military complex encased within a concrete “sarcophagus,” prior to being covered with soil in February 13, 2026. (Images from Vantor with annotations from ISIS )

Imagery shows Iranian military facility being buried and fortified. (Images via Vantor with annotations from ISIS )

Dump trucks coming and going near entrances to military sites.  (Images via Vantor with annotations from ISIS )

Further depth is provided by long-range bombers. B-2 Spirit stealth bombers, operating from Whiteman Air Force Base with aerial refueling, are capable of 30-hour round-trip missions. They are the only platforms configured to deliver the 30,000-pound GBU-57 Massive Ordnance Penetrator (MOP) against deeply buried targets.

The logistics backbone: A weeks-long window

Senior U.S. officials have disclosed that the Pentagon is preparing for “sustained, weeks-long operations” if conflict erupts — surgical Operation Midnight Hammer strikes conducted in June 2025.

Defense analysts say that timeline reflects the realities of munitions burn rates and forward-positioned stockpiles.

In high-intensity conflict simulations, forward-positioned precision munitions can be significantly depleted within roughly three to four weeks, depending on sortie tempo and target density. After that point, forces would rely increasingly on resupply from the continental United States — a process that can take additional weeks to scale into a full maritime logistics bridge.

Operations may not come to a halt, but campaign duration would depend heavily on replenishment cycles and industrial production, not just aircraft availability.

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No ground invasion posture

Notably absent is the kind of troop buildup associated with a ground invasion.

There are no large-scale Army combat formations staging in Kuwait or Iraq for an occupation. The emphasis remains on stand-off strikes and precision airpower — a campaign designed to degrade targets from a distance rather than seize and hold territory.

A F-18E fighter jet takes off from aircraft carrier USS Gerald R. Ford as it sails during NATO Neptune Strike 2025 exercise on Sept. 24, 2025 in the North Sea. (Jonathan Klein/AFP via Getty Images)

That distinction carries political weight.

A January 2026 Quinnipiac University poll found that 70% of American voters oppose a direct war with Iran, with even higher resistance to deploying ground troops. “Talk of the U.S. military potentially intervening in Iran’s internal chaos gets a vigorous thumbs down, while voters signal Congressional approval should be a backstop against military involvement in any foreign crisis,” said Quinnipiac analyst Tim Malloy.

Retaliation risk: ‘All-out war’

Iranian officials have warned that U.S. bases in Saudi Arabia, the UAE and Turkey would be targeted if Washington launches an attack. Senior Iranian military figures have said any U.S. strike would be treated as “all-out war.”

In response, the U.S. has distributed Patriot and THAAD missile defense batteries across regional hubs to shield its assets from potential missile retaliation.

Diplomacy still on the table

Despite the military posture, talks are ongoing. Iranian officials have said they will return within weeks with additional proposals aimed at narrowing gaps in negotiations.

President Trump has framed the moment in blunt terms.

“We have to make a deal, otherwise it’s going to be very traumatic, very traumatic,” Trump said this week, warning that Iran would face consequences if diplomacy collapses.

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Momentum

“The presence of so much firepower in the region creates a momentum of its own,” said Susan Ziadeh, a former U.S. ambassador. “Sometimes that momentum is a little hard to just put the brakes on.”

The force now in position — from dual carriers to stealth bombers — is structured not for a single weekend strike, but for endurance.

Whether it is used, and for how long, will depend on decisions still unfolding at the negotiating table.

A universal vaccine for humans against cold, flu, COVID and allergies has moved a significant step closer following a study using mice, scientists say.

The vaccine, which could be given as a nasal spray, has been developed by experts at Stanford Medicine in the US.

It may protect against a wide range of respiratory viruses, bacteria and allergy triggers, they claimed.

Scientists said the vaccine offered broad protection in the lungs of mice for several months.

Vaccinated animals were protected against COVID and other coronaviruses, Staph (which can infect the skin and cause sepsis), Acinetobacter baumannii (which can cause infections in the blood, urinary tract, lungs or wounds), and house dust mites.

This form of vaccine, if translated into humans, could replace multiple jabs every year for winter respiratory infections.

It also has the potential to work against new pandemic bugs.

Lead author Dr Bali Pulendran, from Stanford Medicine, said: “I think what we have is a universal vaccine against diverse respiratory threats.

“Imagine getting a nasal spray in the fall months that protects you from all respiratory viruses including COVID-19, influenza, respiratory syncytial virus and the common cold, as well as bacterial pneumonia and early spring allergens.

“That would transform medical practice.”

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The researchers are now hoping to trial the vaccine on humans.

A safety trial would be followed by a larger trial in which patients are exposed to infections.

Dr Pulendran thinks two doses of the nasal spray would be sufficient to provide protection in people.

He estimates the vaccine might be available in five to seven years, if there is enough funding.

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In the study, a drop of the vaccine was administered to mice through their noses.

The vaccine offered protection for several months against various forms of viral infections, bacterial respiratory infections and house dust mites – a common trigger for allergic asthma.

Researchers were able to demonstrate protection in mice and showed that helpful T cells in the lungs, which are working against pathogens, could send signals to the body’s innate immune cells to keep them active.

Instead of trying to mimic part of a pathogen, the vaccine mimics the signals that immune cells use to communicate with each other during an infection.

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Professor Brendan Wren, from the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, said it was a “potentially promising approach that could have wide applications and implications” but he cautioned it was “early days”.

He added there was “a long road to go before we’ll know if this approach produces a safe and effective vaccine for humans”.

The new vaccine, known for now as GLA-3M-052-LS+OVA, mimics the T cell signals that directly stimulate innate immune cells in the lungs.

It also contains a harmless antigen that recruits T cells into the lungs to help the body fend off pathogens for weeks or months.

The study was published in the journal Science.

A truck driver arrested Wednesday for allegedly running a red light and causing a fatal crash in Indiana is an illegal alien from India, multiple federal law enforcement sources confirmed to Fox News.

Singh Sukhdeep received is commercial driver’s license in May 2025. He was caught crossing the U.S. border in 2018, but released. He was a minor at the time of the crossing.

Sukhdeep is now in ICE custody.

A commercial driver’s license of Singh Sukhdeep, an illegal alien from India accused of killing an Indiana man in a February 2025 crash. (Obtained by Fox News)

The crash occurred in Hendricks County, Indiana, located just west of Indianapolis.

SHAPIRO FIRES BACK AT DHS, SAYS TRUCK DRIVER ACCUSED IN DEADLY CRASH HAD LEGAL STATUS IN DATABASE

Citing multiple eyewitnesses, KXIN reported that the Freightliner semi-truck with a trailer ran a red light, striking a Chevrolet pickup truck and sending it careening across a median, where it struck another vehicle.

The driver of the Chevrolet truck, 64-year-old Terry Schultz, was pronounced dead at the scene.

Singh Sukhdeep is led away in handcuffs from the scene of a crash that killed a man in Indiana on Feb. 18, 2026.  (Credit: WXIN)

“This tragedy comes less than two weeks after another illegal alien driving a semi truck killed four innocent people in Indiana,” DHS told Fox News. “It is incredibly dangerous for illegal aliens, who often don’t know our traffic laws or even English, to be operating semi-trucks on America’s roads. These tragedies are 100% preventable and we pray for the family and victim.”

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DHS explained that Sukhdeep was released into the U.S. under the 1997 Flores consent decree, which stemmed from the 1993 Supreme Court case Reno v. Flores, where civil liberties and immigrant rights groups filed a class action lawsuit on behalf of illegal alien children detained in Immigration and Naturalization Service (INS) custody. INS later became U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS).

A destroyed Chevrolet truck after a crash in Indiana involving illegal alien semi-truck driver Singh Sukhdeep, taken on Feb. 18, 2026.  (Credit: WXIN)

The result of the decree was that children who crossed the border illegally were to be released to a parent or adult relative, rather than being detained.

The Trump administration moved to abolish the Clinton-era policy in 2019, the year after Sukhdeep crossed the border.

The crash comes about two weeks after Bekzhan Beishekeev, an illegal alien truck driver from Kazakhstan, allegedly killed four people in another crash in Indiana. He entered the U.S. in 2023 using the Biden-era CBP One app, and was released into the country. He was later issued a CDL in Pennsylvania.

A photo of Singh Sukhdeep in DHS custody, provided to Fox on Feb. 19, 2026.  (Courtesy of DHS)

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In another high profile case from last August, an Indian illegal alien Harjinder Singh, who was issued a CDL in California, allegedly made an illegal U-turn, jackknifing his truck and causing a crash that killed three people. He was charged with three counts of vehicular homicide.

The DOT said Singh failed an English Language Proficiency test, providing correct responses to just 2 of 12 verbal questions and only accurately identifying 1 of 4 highway traffic signs.

The UK has not agreed to allow the US to launch air strikes against Iran from a British base on Diego Garcia and another in Gloucestershire, it is understood.

The Times first reported the lack of permission.

The newspaper said, as a result of the UK’s reticence, Donald Trump had withdrawn his support for a deal struck by Sir Keir Starmer to hand the Chagos Islands, which include Diego Garcia, over to Mauritius.

US military plans to strike Iran involve the use of a British and American military base on Diego Garcia as well as RAF Fairford in Gloucestershire, which hosts a US fleet of heavy bombers.

Under long-standing agreements between London and Washington, the Pentagon is only able to launch operations from the two sites, as well as other air bases in the UK that are home to US warplanes and personnel, with advance approval from the British government.

This has not yet been given in relation to any potential strike against Iran because of concern that such a mission would be a breach of international law, according to The Times.

President Trump on Thursday said the world would find out “over the next, probably, 10 days” whether the US would reach a deal with Iran to end its nuclear ambitions – or take military action.

He has been surging forces to the Middle East – including two giant aircraft carriers and supporting warships and jets – to increase his options for launching a significant military operation against the Islamic Republic should talks fail.

Mr Trump spoke on Tuesday evening by phone with the British prime minister. The topics covered included the Iran crisis, but not the Chagos Islands.

However, the following day, the president launched a new attack on Mr Starmer over the Chagos Islands deal, even after his own State Department had said it supported the UK’s decision to give the territory to Mauritius and lease back Diego Garcia.

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In a post on social media, Mr Trump explicitly mentioned the utility of Diego Garcia and Fairford for US military operations against Iran, and appeared to suggest why it would be within international law for the UK to grant such deployments, given that it too could be under threat.

“Should Iran decide not to make a Deal, it may be necessary for the United States to use Diego Garcia, and the Airfield located in Fairford, in order to eradicate a potential attack by a highly unstable and dangerous Regime” Mr Trump wrote on his Truth Social site.

“An attack that would potentially be made on the United Kingdom, as well as other friendly countries.”

He then said: “We will always be ready, willing, and able to fight for the UK, but they have to remain strong in the face of Wokeism, and other problems put before them.”

Read more:
Why is the Chagos Islands deal controversial?
Trump to PM: ‘Do not give away Diego Garcia’

The UK is not thought to be preparing to support the US in any military offensive against Iran.

However, the Royal Air Force has deployed six F-35 warplanes to RAF Akrotiri on Cyprus, and sent four Typhoon jets to Qatar, as part of efforts to bolster its own defences in the event of any Iranian counterattack in response to American strikes.

On the Chagos Islands deal, the government has repeatedly defended its decision to hand over the territory to Mauritius, saying it would avoid a costly legal battle while securing access to Diego Garcia for 100 years.

NATO country and U.S. ally Poland warned its citizens Thursday to immediately flee Iran, with its prime minister saying the “possibility of a conflict is very real.” 

The remarks from Donald Tusk come as the U.S. has been bolstering its military presence in the Middle East, with tensions escalating over Iran’s nuclear program. 

“Please leave Iran immediately and under no circumstances travel to this country,” Tusk said Thursday in the town of Zielonka outside of Warsaw, according to Turkey’s Anadolu Agency. “I do not want to alarm anyone, but we all know what I am referring to. The possibility of a conflict is very real.” 

“In a few, a dozen, or several dozen hours, evacuation may no longer be possible,” Tusk reportedly added.

RUSSIA URGES IRAN, ‘ALL PARTIES’ IN MIDDLE EAST TO SHOW RESTRAINT AMID US MILITARY BUILDUP

Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk, center, followed by Polish Deputy Prime Minister and Defense Minister Wladyslaw Kosiniak-Kamysz, watches an open test of unmanned weapon systems conducted by the Polish Armaments Group at the Military Institute of Armament Technology training ground in Zielonka, near Warsaw, Poland, on Thursday, Feb. 19, 2026.  (Aleksander Kalka/NurPhoto via Getty Images)

The world’s largest aircraft carrier, the USS Gerald R. Ford, and its strike group are moving from the Caribbean toward the Middle East.  

The move would place two aircraft carriers and their accompanying warships in the region.  

WORLD’S LARGEST AIRCRAFT CARRIER HEADS TO MIDDLE EAST AS IRAN NUCLEAR TENSIONS SPIKE DRAMATICALLY

The world’s largest aircraft carrier, USS Gerald R. Ford, was seen in the North Sea during the NATO Neptune Strike 2025 exercise in September 2025. (Jonathan Klein/AFP via Getty Images)

The USS Abraham Lincoln and three guided-missile destroyers arrived in the Middle East more than two weeks ago.   

On Wednesday, U.S. Central Command posted photos showing F/A-18 Super Hornets landing on the decks of the USS Abraham Lincoln in the Arabian Sea.

F/A-18 Super Hornets from Strike Fighter Squadron 14 land on the deck of USS Abraham Lincoln in the Arabian Sea in this image released Wednesday, Feb. 18, by U.S. Central Command. (U.S. Central Command)

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“When launched from a catapult on an aircraft carrier, the Super Hornet can go from a full stop to airborne in under 3 seconds,” CENTCOM said. 

Fox News Digital’s Greg Wehner contributed to this report.