MOSCOW, February 19. /TASS/. The United States is deploying the largest aviation group to the Middle East since the invasion of Iraq in 2003, The Wall Street Journal reports.
N12 TV channel said Israel is preparing on a large scale not to be caught off guard by the US strike on Iran.
TASS has compiled the key facts about escalation in the Middle East.
US military buildup in the region
- The United States does not have enough air defense systems in the Middle East in case it decides on a large-scale military operation against Iran, NBC News reported, citing sources.
- According to them, the Pentagon is increasing its military presence in the region by sending additional ships, air defense systems and submarines.
- The TV channel said that despite the transfer of forces, some of the air defense systems, including Patriot complexes, have not yet been fully deployed.
- One of the NBC sources said the available resources may be sufficient for only limited strikes.
- Strategic bombers B-2 Spirit used last year to hit Iranian targets have been put on high alert, The New York Times reported, citing sources.
- According to them, dozens of tanker aircraft necessary for a long-term air campaign were relocated to the front lines.
- According to NBC, the second US aircraft carrier group heading from the Caribbean towards Iran may arrive by the end of this week or the beginning of next week.
The possibility of an Iranian retaliatory strike
- American military bases in the Middle East are insufficiently protected should Iran carry out a retaliatory strike in response to a US military operation, the NYT newspaper reported, citing a Pentagon source.
- According to the source, American military personnel stationed in the Middle East, including eight military bases, don’t have enough air defense systems to protect against a potential Iranian attack.
- According to another source, the US military is capable of protecting its bases and allied facilities from any Iranian response, at least during a short campaign. However, the question remains about the United States’ readiness to wage a longer and larger military conflict.
- According to the newspaper, the aircraft carrier Gerald R. Ford will stay near the Israeli coast to protect Tel Aviv and other cities from potential Iranian retaliatory strikes.
- The White House's decision to postpone the start of a military operation against Iran, taken after warnings that the Pentagon was not ready, may have allowed Iran to better prepare for a potential attack, the newspaper notes.
- The N12 TV channel reported that Israel remains on high alert and is ready for various events of a defensive and offensive nature.
The probability of an operation
- The chances of the US launching a military operation against Iran in the coming weeks stand at 90%, Axios said, quoting an unnamed adviser to the American President Donald Trump.
- The US military operation against Iran is likely to take the form of a campaign lasting several weeks, which will look like a full-scale war, Axios cites sources.
- According to them, it is assumed that it will be a joint American-Israeli operation, significantly larger in scope than in June 2025, when the United States attacked Iranian nuclear facilities.
- Trump has not yet made a final decision on striking Iran, but the US military is ready to go this weekend, CNN reported, citing sources.
- Earlier, CBS reported that the American administration is considering striking Iran on February 21.
- According to NBC sources, the United States intends to complete the deployment of the necessary forces in case of a possible Trump order to launch strikes by mid-March.
- No final decision has been made yet, Washington is awaiting a written response from Tehran amid the ongoing consultations.
- According to the Ynet portal, Israel believes that Trump may order the strike in the coming days, having lost faith in signing a nuclear deal.
- Besides, according to the portal, the meeting of the Israeli military-political cabinet, previously scheduled for February 19, was postponed until February 22 without explanation.
The position of the international community
- The escalation around Iran is unprecedented, but Russia is counting on a peaceful search for a solution, Russian Presidential Spokesman Dmitry Peskov said.
- In the event of new attacks on Iran, there will be bad consequences for the entire international community, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said.
- The International Atomic Energy Agency has put forward several solutions to the United States and Iran to resolve the crisis over the nuclear program, Director General Rafael Grossi told Bloomberg.
- He said that there is little time left to resolve the situation.
- The military escalation around Iran will have "grave consequences for the security of the entire region," said European Commission Spokesman Anwar al-Anuni.
- He said that the EC supports the negotiations between the United States and Iran and calls on all parties to refrain from escalation.