Listen to this article
Average 4 minutes
The audio version of this article was created by AI-based technology. It can be mispronounced. We are working with our partners to continuously review and improve the results.
The US has sent dozens of military aircraft and other assets to bases in the Middle East as well, with President Donald Trump suggesting Thursday’s strikes against Iran could begin “within 10 days” if a deal is not reached over its nuclear program.
The two countries are in the middle of indirect talks in Switzerland.
Speaking at the first meeting of his organization’s Peace Council, Trump said the US “may have to take another step” if talks fall apart. CBC’s visual investigation team analyzed aerial and marine data, as well as satellite imagery, to track the structure.
What is in the sea
Two of the 11 active U.S. Navy squadrons are known or reported to have been ordered to the region. The USS Abraham Lincoln and its destroyers are operating in the Arabian Sea near Oman, following their deployment in late January.
Publicly available images captured by the European Space Agency’s Copernicus Sentinel-2 satellite show the carrier in the region on Sunday.
A number of other warships are active in the Strait of Hormuz, the Red Sea and the eastern Mediterranean, according to the US-based agency USNI News.
The USS Gerald R. Ford, the world’s largest warship, also briefly activated the Automatic Identification System (AIS) yesterday, indicating its location off the coast of Morocco in the Atlantic Ocean, according to MarineTraffic.
US media he has reported that the Gerald R. Ford has been ordered to this region, although as of Thursday it does not appear to have entered the Mediterranean. The USNS William McLean, a naval replenishment ship, opened its own AIS on Thursday, near the former Gerald R. Ford.
What’s in the air
Using the ADS-B Exchange flight tracking software, CBC News has seen dozens of US military aircraft in the past few days, showing large quantities of tanks, transports and surveillance equipment from the continental United States to bases in Europe and the Middle East.
According to flight information, there are many flights to and from Ramstein Air Base in Germany, while flights also land in Crete, Greece and Rota, Spain.
American planes were also seen in Sofia, Bulgaria.
Also on Thursday, a P-8 naval aircraft was operating in the Strait of Hormuz, near Iran, according to ADS-B Exchange flight tracking data.
Satellite images published by Reuters also showed a significant increase in the number of fighter jets and other military aircraft seen at bases in the region.
Many planes are seen at the Al Udeid airport in Qatar, the largest US installation in the region. Similarly, the Muwaffaq Salti airbase in Jordan has seen an increase in the number of aircraft stationed there, according to satellite images.
Another thing we know
The United States attacked Iran last year as part of what is known as the Twelve Day War, launched by Israel in June. The US used B-2 bombers to attack Iran’s nuclear facilities.
Satellite images released by Reuters show that repair and reconstruction efforts have since taken place at several nuclear and military sites, including facilities in Natanz and Isfahan.
Meanwhile, Iran’s leadership said the nuclear talks in Geneva, Switzerland have been successful “good progress.” Iran denies that it wants to build a nuclear weapon.
The country has also launched its own military exercises, including missile tests and naval activity in the Strait of Hormuz with Russian forces.
