US military surging forces in Mideast after Israel strikes Iran

When Israeli jets launched a sweeping preemptive strike on Iran’s nuclear infrastructure, the United States initially insisted its ally had acted alone. But in the days since, U.S. military movements and official rhetoric suggest a rapid and significant shift that aligns America more directly with Israel’s goals in the region.

Israel said it had no choice but to act, claiming Tehran was dangerously close to acquiring a nuclear weapon. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who has long warned of Iran’s nuclear ambitions, hasn’t disclosed what new intelligence drove the decision to strike now.

The operation marks Israel’s largest air campaign against Iran to date, and early indications suggest the offensive could evolve into a broader conflict involving U.S. forces.

Despite earlier efforts by Secretary of State Marco Rubio to downplay American involvement, President Donald Trump said he “didn’t care” about dissenting opinions, including those from his own director of national intelligence, Tulsi Gabbard, who had testified earlier in 2024 that Iran was not pursuing a nuclear weapon.

Gabbard’s testimony seems to contradict the findings from the Bulletin of Atomic Scientists. In a recent paper, the Bulletin said the Iranians had enough centrifuges enriching weapons-grade uranium that they could probably make enough for a nuclear weapon within days. 

Means of delivery is another question, though. It’s unclear if Iran had the technical expertise to weaponize the enriched uranium to the point where it could be fitted onto a missile and launched at Israel or the U.S. Iran does have a domestic missile program. The regime did sign a defensive agreement with Russia, and there are several informal agreements in place with North Korea. So, it is possible the Iranians could have received help to advance their nuclear ambitions. However, there is no public confirmation of this.

US military surge

To support Israel and safeguard American interests, the Pentagon dramatically escalated its military posture. The U.S. sent dozens of aerial refueling tankers and squadrons of F-16, F-22 and F-35 fighter aircraft to the region, according to multiple U.S. defense officials.

Those assets are already playing a defensive role by intercepting drones and missiles fired by Iranian and proxy forces. And the surge doesn’t stop there.

The USS Carl Vinson Carrier Strike Group is currently operating in the Red Sea, while the USS Nimitz is en route from the Western Pacific. U.S. destroyers with advanced air defense capabilities are being positioned closer to conflict zones, along with littoral combat ships and mine countermeasure vessels that could be critical in potential coastal operations.

The nuclear question

At the center of the crisis is Iran’s uranium enrichment capability. Israel and the U.S. insist they are committed to ensuring Iran can never again enrich uranium to levels beyond what’s needed for civilian purposes.

But that mission may require striking deeply buried nuclear facilities like Fordow, a hardened underground site that’s likely impervious to conventional weapons — except one. The Massive Ordnance Penetrator (MOP), the U.S.’s most powerful non-nuclear bomb, is capable of destroying fortified bunkers like Fordow. If the plan is to take it out by air, American involvement is essential.

Alternatively, some analysts believe Israel could once again lean on its elite commando units. Last year, more than 100 Israeli special forces reportedly neutralized an underground base in Syria. A similar operation inside Iran, however, would carry exponentially greater risk.

Iran’s response and regional fallout

Iran continues to deny it is pursuing nuclear weapons and points to its rights under the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty. The regime has been unable to explain why it needs to enrich uranium far beyond what’s needed for nuclear power production, though.

While there were early reports Tehran was considering a ceasefire, Iranian officials have since rejected such overtures.

The U.S. now has approximately 40,000 military personnel in the region, and the potential deployment of additional Navy warships to the Eastern Mediterranean is also on the table. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth described the ongoing build-up as “defensive,” aimed at protecting American forces from possible retaliation by Iran or its regional proxies.

What comes next?

Whether this show of force will be enough to deter Iran, or whether it marks the opening chapter of a much broader conflict, remains unclear. As President Trump said this week, “no one knows what I’m going to do.” And with Congress not yet authorizing military action, legal questions loom over any further U.S. escalation.

What is certain, however, is that the U.S. is no longer simply watching from the sidelines.