Full List of U.S. Military Deployments That Point to War With Iran
Scrutiny is mounting over a potential U.S. role in the Israel-Iran conflict. After denying involvement in Israel's first strikes on strategic sites across Iran, the U.S. has adopted a tougher tone towards Tehran and has bolstered military deployment in the Middle East.
Commenting on the deployments, U.S. Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth said they aimed to enhancing the United States defensive postures in the region.
Below is a full list that Newsweek has been able to assemble of U.S. naval and aerial military assets in or heading to the region, according to officials, multiple open-intelligence analysts, tracking data, media and defense outlets.
The U.S. military is increasing its air power in the Middle East with the deployment of more F-16s, F-22s and F-35 fighter jets and extending current warplane missions, three U.S. officials told Reuters.
The F-16 Fighting Falcon is a highly adaptable fighter aircraft used extensively by the United States and its allies. The F-22 Raptor and F-35 Lightning II represent a newer generation of stealth combat aircraft developed for complex operational needs.
U.S. aerial refueling aircraft are on their way to the Middle East as the war between Israel and Iran escalates, according to flight data tracking sources. These would be needed for any sustained operations over Iran.
This includes KC-135R Stratotankers, the U.S. Air Force's primary aerial refueling aircraft. It also includes KC-46A Pegasus tankers, the next-generation aerial refueling tanker.
U.S. officials said the tankers may join a NATO exercise in Europe. The State Department told diplomats to assure hosts the tankers are not backing Israeli air operations in Iran.
The United States has been building up its bomber force at the Indian Ocean island base of Diego Garcia. These could be used in any strikes on Iran's nuclear sites with bunker buster munitions that Israel does not possess.
Satellite images analysed by Newsweek have shown increasing deployments in recent weeks.
B-2 Spirit stealth bombers can carry both conventional and nuclear weapons, including bunker-busting bombs designed to target deep underground facilities. B-52H Stratofortress Bombers, known for their long-range strike capabilities.
U.S. Navy vessels have departed the key Manama port in Bahrain, according to satellite imagery, currently underway in the U.S. Central Command area of operations.
Vessels in the region include littoral combat ships, fast, agile, and networked surface vessels designed for operations close to shore and mine countermeasure vessels, to neutralize mines using advanced sonar systems.
There is also the M/V Ocean Trader, a special operations mothership supporting U.S. forces.
Aircraft carrier strike groups provide mobile firepower when required in their own right and support of other operational units. One carrier group is currently in the Middle East and another is on the way.
The USS Carl Vinson carrier strike group has recently been operating in the Arabian Sea with an air wing consisting of F-35C Lightning IIs, F/A-18E/F Super Hornets, EA-18G Growlers, E-2D Advanced Hawkeyes, CMV-22 Ospreys and MH-60R/S Sea Hawks.
It took part in weeks of air strikes against the Yemeni-based Houthis, an Iranian-backed militia, before a ceasefire was reached early last month.
The USS Nimitzcarrier group is now in transit from the Western Pacific toward the Middle East and was recently in Southeast Asia. Its airwing includes F/A-18C/E/F Super Hornets, EA-18G Growlers, E-2D Hawkeyes, C-2A Greyhounds and MH-60R/S Sea Hawks.
Patriot missile defense units were moved in April by the U.S. military from the Pacific region to the Middle East. The full battalion of air‑defense gear-flew in 73 C‑17 cargo plane trips.
The Patriot system is widely regarded as a leading ground-based air defense platform, known for its ability to intercept advanced threats, including certain types of hypersonic missiles.
"Doomsday Plane"
The U.S. Air Force "Doomsday Plane," a wartime command and control aircraft for the president, flew over the United States on Tuesday and remained trackable throughout, per Flightradar24 data.
The move signals a show of force rather than direct operation in the Middle East.
The E-4B "Nightwatch," a militarized Boeing 747, serves as the National Airborne Operations Center and key command link for the President, Defense Secretary, and Joint Chiefs.
In a national emergency or loss of ground command, it ensures survivable control to direct forces, execute war orders, and coordinate civil response. It was used during the September 11, 2001 attacks.
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When U.S. Air Force tankers began their migration across the Atlantic, we noted that one of the possible reasons was to prepare for the influx of additional major assets into the region, and especially fighters. At this point, this is very likely being done for contingency needs and to give the president multiple options, as we outlined in our previous feature on the tanker movements. Any involvement in the kinetic conflict remains pre-decisional, at least publicly. However, having all these assets in the region would allow the United States to respond in force if Iran attacks U.S. interests or if the administration decides to get involved directly. At the same time, the Air Force can use these fighters for shooting down drones and cruise missiles, something they have been doing in this theater for months now. In particular, the F-16s reportedly now being deployed to the Middle East have already been using APKWS IIs to down drones launched by Iranian-backed Houthi militants in Yemen since last year, which we were the first to report. Air Force F-15E Strike Eagles played key roles in defending Israel from incoming missile and drone attacks last year. F-15Es recently saw their counter-drone capabilities, in particular, significantly expand through the addition of laser-guided Advanced Precision Kill Weapon System II (APKWS II) rockets to their available arsenal. Air Force F-16s in the Middle East had already been using APKWS IIs to down drones launched by Iranian-backed Houthi militants in Yemen since last year, which we were first to report. The movement of such large numbers of tankers could also indicate support for global airpower bomber missions from the United States to Iran and back, although there has been no sign of Air Force Global Strike Command involvement so far. As of today, Planet Labs satellite imagery reviewed by TWZ revealed that four B-52s and six F-15Es, plus other aircraft, were still at Diego Garcia in the Indian Ocean. There has been speculation that the U.S. Air Force could use B-2 stealth bombers to assist Israel in its attacks on Iran's nuclear facilities. In particular, the deep-lying nuclear enrichment site at Fordow could require Massive Ordnance Penetrator (MOP) bunker-buster bombs, designed to penetrate just this type of target, and only carried by the B-2. This is a scenario that we have repeatedly highlighted and discussed for many years. As well as the apparent deployment of U.S. Air Force fighters to the Middle East, a second aircraft carrier strike group, led by the USS Nimitz, was sent from East Asia toward the Middle East earlier this week, as you can read about in this previous article. It will join the carrier USS Carl Vinson, which is already operating relatively close to Iran, around the Arabian Sea. Already, U.S. Navy warships in the region are understood to have been helping shoot down Iranian ballistic missiles headed toward Israel. This is in addition to the U.S. Army Patriot surface-to-air missile systems and Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) ballistic missile defense systems that have been helping defend Israel, too. This is a fast-developing story, and we will bring more updates when we have information about these highly unusual aircraft movements. Contact the author: thomas@
