US beefs up military in Middle East amid tensions with Iran

JAKARTA - The United States is significantly expanding its military presence in the Middle East amid rising tensions with Iran, although President Donald Trump said he hoped the use of force would not be necessary.

The aircraft carrier USS Abraham Lincoln and its combat units entered the area of responsibility of the US Central Command in the western Indian Ocean, which placed the ship within a quick strike distance of Iran, US officials told The New York Times, Reuters, and CNN on Tuesday.

The deployment includes several guided missile destroyers equipped with Tomahawk cruise missiles.

Quoted by ANTARA, Tuesday, January 22, US military officials told The New York Times that if ordered by the White House, the aircraft carrier could carry out operations in one or two days.

CNN quoted two sources, reporting that the new position of the aircraft carrier allowed for faster support of potential US operations targeting Iran.

The military buildup comes as President Trump received an intelligence assessment saying Iran's leadership is at its most fragile moment since the 1979 Islamic Revolution, according to a source familiar with the report and quoted by The New York Times.

However, officials said it was still unclear what steps the US government would ultimately take.

Meanwhile, according to US officials quoted by the Times, the Pentagon has sent about a dozen additional F-15E strike fighters to the region to strengthen its offensive capabilities.

In addition, the US has also deployed additional Patriot and THAAD missile defense systems to protect American forces from possible retaliatory attacks in the form of Iranian short- and medium-range missiles.

Long-range bombers based in the US remain on high alert, the Times reported. The Pentagon also raised the alert level about two weeks ago after Trump asked for military response options following Iran's crackdown on protests.

Trump, in a public statement, described the deployment as a preventive measure.

Speaking to reporters aboard Air Force One after attending the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, Trump said the US had an "armada" moving towards the region.

However, he hopes that the fleet will not need to be used.

"We have a lot of ships moving in that direction, just in case. I'd rather not see anything happen, but we're watching them very closely," Trump said, according to Reuters.

On another occasion, Trump said: "We have a fleet ... that's moving in that direction, and maybe we don't have to use it."