The Trump administration is sending major firepower to the Middle East amid the Iranian regime’s brutal crackdown on protests that began in late December.
Iran’s government has resorted to bloody attacks against protesters. Estimates suggest that between 2,000 up to 15,000 protesters have been killed in the regime’s crackdown. President Donald Trump threatened military intervention against Iran’s government on multiple occasions if it continues killing its citizens.
Multiple regional reports revealed that the USS Abraham Lincoln carrier strike group and dozens of fighter jets are racing to the Middle East.
From Aerospace Global News:
US F-15E Strike Eagles appear to be redeploying to the Middle East as the USS Abraham Lincoln transits the Straits of Malacca. The moves come as the US once again seeks to bolster its posture in the region amid dramatic developments in Iran.
On 16th of January, The War Zone founder, Tyler Rogoway, posted,
“There are not enough assets in the Middle East to execute a sustained campaign that will accomplish anything of huge consequence in Iran.”
He explained that the US would need to build up resources, and this would take time.
According to open-source reporting, tracking the movements of mostly US military aircraft, the buildup of air assets in the Middle East for a possible strike on Iran has begun.
So far, the two most notable developments have been the redeployment of US Air Force F-15E fighter jets from their base at RAF Lakenheath in the United Kingdom and the redeployment of an aircraft carrier. OSINT account, Armchair Admiral, stated the F-15Es were likely redeployed to Muwaffaq Salti Air Base in Jordan.
Speaking of the redeployment of the first 12 F-15Es, Armchair Admiral said, “This is what looks to be the first major movement of the U.S. build-up in the Middle East. I expect we’ll see more modern aircraft deployed soon. My own prediction was Lakenheath F-35s, but it’s not too late for that.”
👉🏻https://t.co/eAy9SyGYqH | #EstadosUnidos avanza hacia Oriente Medio: no solo envía al Grupo de Ataque del Portaaviones USS Abraham Lincoln sino aviones de combate tácticos, de carga y de reabastecimiento pic.twitter.com/WzBSRh4hEe
— El Universo (@eluniversocom) January 21, 2026
The carrier could be close to arriving at its destination in the Persian Gulf. The move is seen as an indication that the U.S. is poised to carry out airstrikes against the Iranian regime to aid the protesters.
Israeli media is framing the Lincoln’s arrival as a critical inflection point in the tensions between Washington and Tehran. “As the aircraft carrier USS Abraham Lincoln makes its way toward the Persian Gulf, the decisive moment between the US and Iran draws closer,” according to Israel Hayom.
The news outlet noted that the U.S. will soon have the capacity for anything from “targeting Iranian oil tankers that guarantee crude supplies to China” to “direct strikes on targets inside Iran itself.”
Former U.S. ambassador Dan Shapiro said Trump’s “one-and-done” strike idea could “lead him to specifically target Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.”
The Iranian regime is facing intense pressure from the international community and the protesters in the street, who have not faltered even in the face of shootings and arrests.
Earlier this week, Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian warned that any move against Khamenei “would be considered a declaration of all-out war against the Iranian nation” and that Iran’s response “would be severe and deeply regrettable.”
Trump has referred to Khamenei as “a sick man” and declared that “it’s time for new leadership in Iran.”
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