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The US is on the verge of a “high-profile” campaign against Iran after launching one of its biggest military buildups in the Middle East, a former senior Pentagon official has said.
Dana Stroul, now director of research at the Washington Institute for Near East Policy, conducted the survey on Sunday as Washington and Tehran prepared for a second round of indirect nuclear talks in Oman.
“The U.S. military is ready for a sustained, high-powered campaign if President Trump orders it, and ready to protect our allies in the Middle East from Iran’s missiles,” Stroul told Fox News Digital.
“The US military can quickly redeploy assets from around the world and use the most lethal force in a short period of time in one theater,” he said before highlighting how “no ally or adversary knows what the US has seen in this current build.”
PRESIDENT TRUMP’S IRAN BUILDUP MIRRORS 2003 IRAQ WAR SCALE AS RELEASED
The world’s largest warship, the US aircraft carrier USS Gerald R. Ford, is on its way out of the Oslofjord in Nesodden and Bygdoy, Norway, on September 17, 2025. (NTB/Lise Aserud via Reuters)
Explaining how the current stance differs from the June 2025 strikes on Iran-linked nuclear targets, Stroul said the US has increased its offensive and defensive capabilities.
“Two US aircraft carriers and their ships and air wings were stationed in the Middle East last summer during the 12-day war and US Operation Midnight Hammer,” he explained.
“The addition of Ford is very important, it increases America’s attack power if we are going to fight Iran,” he said.
While in June 2025, the US carried out limited but highly targeted strikes against the Iranian nuclear infrastructure to damage important facilities without causing a regional war, now, Stroul said the power situation is broad and strong.
The US has also “increased the number of guided missile destroyers, warplanes, refuelers, and air defense systems” in the region, he explained.
TRUMP SAYS IRAN HAS 15 DAYS TO COMPLY WITH TWO OR FACE A ‘DESTRUCTIVE’ OUTCOME
An IF/A-18F Super Hornet, assigned to Strike Fighter Squadron (VFA) 41, prepares to land on the flight deck of the USS Abraham Lincoln in the Pacific Ocean on Aug. 10, 2024. (US Naval Communications Master / Miss Communications Seaman Apprentice Daniel Kimmelman/Reuters)
The deployment of aircraft carriers such as USS Gerald R. Ford and USS Abraham Lincoln assumed high strategic importance.
The USS Gerald R. Ford has recently been tracked passing the Strait of Gibraltar to the east, while the USS Abraham Lincoln is operating in the Arabian Sea.
“Both will be in the Middle East CENTCOM theater,” Stroul explained before clarifying that it might be “one in the eastern Mediterranean and one in the Arabian Gulf.”
“There may be a combination of reasons for that based on availability, readiness, proximity to the Middle East.
“The Ford was heading home and ordered it to turn around,” he added.
Although the exact locations of the carriers are not publicly disclosed for operational security reasons, their presence alone indicates escalation and deterrence.
WITKOFF WARNS IRAN ‘IN A WEEK’ FROM ‘MAKING BOMBS’ AS TRUMP BACKS MEASURE
Omani Foreign Minister, Sayyid Badr Hamad Al Busaidi, US President Donald Trump’s Special Representative for the Middle East, Steve Witkoff and US negotiator Jared Kushner meet ahead of the US-Iran talks, in Muscat, the capital of Oman, on February 06, 2026. (f Oman, FebruaryOman Ministry of Foreign Affairs/Anadolu via Getty Images)
The military build-up comes as indirect diplomatic talks between Washington and Tehran continue, with Oman again serving as a mediator on Feb. 26.
Stroul argued that Iran’s leadership is trying to balance brinkmanship with negotiations.
“Iran’s leaders are playing a weak hand by combining hype about their capabilities, stage preparations and exercises to show readiness,” he said.
“They are trying to reduce this by pursuing negotiations. No one should be under any illusions about the reality of the US regime – Iran is completely different in terms of general principles,” said Stroul.
BUILT FOR WEEKS OF WAR: WITHIN THE BATTLE NUMBER THE US STANDS BEHIND THE MIDDLE EAST.
Armed NOPO special police officers are at the scene as Iranians take to the streets of Enghelab (Revolution) Square in Tehran, Iran on June 24, 2025, to celebrate a ceasefire after the 12-day war with Israel. (NEGAR/Middle East Images/AFP via Getty Images)
“Israel dominated Iranian airspace for one day last year, targeted many of Iran’s security leaders, removed part of its missile arsenal, and the US significantly scaled back its nuclear program,” Stroul said.
Iran’s long-established network of proxies across the region — including Hezbollah, Shiite militias in Iraq, and parts of Syria — has also been weakened after Israeli military pressure.
“Iran’s long-established network of proxies throughout the region is deteriorating after more than two years of operation in Israel, and they refused to enter the war and support Iran’s defense last summer,” Stroul explained.
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“No matter what Iran’s leaders say, Iran cannot rebuild a decades-long project in a few months.”
“That being said, the US military is in a position to carry out whatever orders President Trump gives,” he said. “It is not a question of military readiness, but a political decision.”
