US carrier enters Mediterranean as Trump weighs Iran strike
The number of US warships in the region rises to 17 amid mounting tensions.
The USS Gerald R. Ford aircraft carrier was seen entering the Mediterranean Sea on Friday, where it was ordered by US President Donald Trump as part of a massive military buildup in the Middle East.
The carrier was seen transiting the Strait of Gibraltar — which links the Atlantic Ocean to the Mediterranean — in a photo taken from the Gibraltar side of the strait.
Trump — who had previously sent another carrier to the Middle East — said on Friday he is "considering" a limited strike on Iran if negotiations fail to yield a replacement for the nuclear deal with Tehran that he tore up during his first term in office.
US military assets in the Middle East
Ships
Washington currently has 13 warships in the Middle East: one aircraft carrier — the USS Abraham Lincoln — nine destroyers and three littoral combat ships, a US official said.
The Ford — the world's largest carrier — is accompanied by three destroyers, and when in position will bring the total number of US warships in the Middle East to 17.
Both carriers are crewed by thousands of sailors and have air wings comprised of dozens of warplanes. It is rare to have two of the massive warships in the Middle East at the same time.
Aircraft
In addition to the aircraft on the carriers, the United States has sent dozens of other warplanes to the Middle East, according to open-source intelligence accounts on X, flight-tracking website Flightradar24 and media reports.
These include F-22 Raptor and F-35 Lightning stealth fighter jets, F-15 and F-16 warplanes, and the KC-135 aerial refuelling aircraft needed to sustain their operations.
Air defences
The United States has also reportedly boosted its land-based air defences in the Middle East. At the same time, the numerous guided-missile destroyers in the region provide air defence capabilities at sea.
US forces on bases
While ground forces are not expected to take part in offensive action against Iran, the United States has tens of thousands of military personnel on bases in the Middle East.