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Over 300 US aircraft sent to Middle East since beginning of January — agency

The majority of the US air fleet in the region consists of 84 F-18 fighters and 48 F-16 fighters

ANKARA, February 25. /TASS/. The United States has sent more than 300 military aircraft to the area of responsibility of the US Central Command since the beginning of the year, amid a possible escalation of the situation around Iran, the Anadolu agency reported, citing intelligence data.

According to its information, over 300 military aircraft have been stationed at the Al Udeid base in Qatar, the Muwaffaq Salti base in Jordan, and the Prince Sultan base in Saudi Arabia, as well as on board the US Navy aircraft carriers USS Abraham Lincoln and USS Gerald R. Ford that have been deployed in the region. The majority of the US air fleet in the region consists of 84 F-18 fighters and 48 F-16 fighters. The agency notes that to concentrate this number of equipment in the Middle East, the US military has carried out approximately 270 logistical flights since January of this year.

In January, the White House warned that it was ready to use force if Tehran did not agree to negotiate a fair deal involving the complete rejection of nuclear weapons. The Pentagon has amassed substantial military forces, including two aircraft carrier strike groups, in the Middle East. On February 19, the US administration announced that it had given Iran a maximum of 15 days, starting from that date, to reach an agreement.

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