USS Abraham Lincoln carrier strike group reaches Middle Eastern waters
The carrier's presence gives the White House greater options to authorize strikes deep within Iranian territory while reducing the potential risk of regional blowback.
WASHINGTON — The US Navy aircraft carrier USS Abraham Lincoln has entered Middle Eastern waters, a US official told Al-Monitor.
The carrier, carrying F/A-18 and F-35 squadrons and accompanied by multiple destroyers, was redirected to the region earlier this month as US President Donald Trump weighs options with top White House advisers regarding possible strikes on Iran.
Its presence reinforces at least three F-15 squadrons already stationed in the region, along with additional US air defense batteries deployed in recent weeks. Other US Navy guided-missile destroyers have been positioned in the Gulf and the Red Sea.
Trump repeatedly threatened earlier this month to strike Iran's government for its violent repression of mass anti-government protests. The president appears to have vacillated on whether to authorize the strikes. "Maybe we won’t have to use it, but we’ll see," he said of the carrier strike group as it headed toward Iran last week.
US Navy Adm. Brad Cooper, the Pentagon's top commander for the region, met with senior Israeli military officials over the weekend, including what an Israeli army spokesperson described as a "lengthy personal meeting" with Israel Defense Forces Chief of Staff Maj. Gen. Eyal Zamir.
The IDF's statement on the meetings did not mention Iran. US CENTCOM has not released a statement on Cooper's visit to Israel as of publication.
US Air Force units in the Middle East on Monday began an exercise that practices evasive maneuvers to disperse personnel and aircraft from major basing hubs to smaller airfields in the region amid the mutual threats between the Trump administration and Iran.
The drills, announced Sunday by US Air Force’s regional component command, are designed to "demonstrate the ability to deploy, disperse and sustain combat airpower" and "prepare for flexible response execution” throughout the region, the headquarters said.
"Our Airmen are proving they can disperse, operate and generate combat sorties under demanding conditions — safely, precisely and alongside our partners,” the US Air Force’s top commander, Lt. Gen. Derek France, said Monday.
Iranian officials have threatened to strike US bases in the neighboring Arabian Peninsula should Iran come under attack. The officials have said they have been rebuilding their country's arsenal of ballistic missiles since the June 2025 Iran-Israel war, leading to concerns among Israeli national security officials.
The US Air Force will be moving aircraft around the region as part of the drills this week, which will be done "with host-nation approval and in close coordination with civil and military aviation authorities," the announcement read.
"This exercise reinforces peace through strength by fielding a credible, combat-ready and responsible presence designed to deter aggression, reduce the risk of miscalculation and assure partners," the headquarters said.
Arab states in the Gulf have sought to distance their military ties with the US from the tensions between the Washington and Tehran. The United Arab Emirates became the latest to do so on Monday.
"The Emirates affirms its commitment to not allowing the use of its airspace, territory or waters in any military operations against Iran,” Afra Al Hameli, the country's top spokesperson, said in a statement.
This story has been updated since original publication.
