WASHINGTON/TEHRAN, 01 Feb. - (ANA) - US and Iranian forces are stepping up military posturing across the region, fuelling tensions amid fears of escalation.

 

Tensions between Tehran and Washington have escalated as both sides showcase and deploy military capabilities in moves that suggest serious preparation for conflict, even as analysts caution that a full-scale war is not inevitable.

 

The United States has significantly bolstered its military presence in the Middle East after President Donald Trump warned that "a massive Armada" was heading towards Iran.

 

According to analyses from open-source intelligence platforms, the US military buildup across the Persian Gulf region has continued on multiple fronts.

 

A US official said on Wednesday that a total of 10 warships had been deployed to the region, including the USS Abraham Lincoln aircraft carrier strike group, complete with F-35 warplanes and three destroyers. The carrier, which until last week was operating in the South China Sea, was last tracked off the coast of Oman.

 

Around 35 F-15E strike fighters have been deployed to Jordan, while additional tanker aircraft have landed at the US Al Udeid Air Base in Qatar.

 

Estimates also suggest that between 40,000 and 50,000 US troops are currently stationed across the Middle East, spread across eight permanent bases and several forward operating locations.

 

In a display of force, US Central Command announced plans to hold multi-day aerial exercises "to demonstrate the ability to deploy, disperse and sustain combat airpower".

 

 

 

 

Analysts say the military capabilities frequently highlighted by Trump in public statements and on his Truth Social platform represent the most significant US military build-up since Washington struck Iran’s nuclear facilities in June 2025.

 

Between 13 and 24 June 2025, the US joined Israel’s military campaign against Iran, striking the Isfahan, Fordow and Natanz nuclear facilities.

 

At the time, the Centre for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) said US intelligence and strike capabilities helped shape the operational picture “in a way Israel alone likely could not have achieved”, noting that American precision strikes played a decisive role.

 

The current deployment features a heavier naval footprint than last year’s build-up, when carrier strike groups and surface vessels were positioned across the Persian Gulf and Arabian Sea but without a sustained concentration of multiple carriers directly opposite Iran.

 

The number of ships now deployed is also roughly comparable to the force sent to the Caribbean earlier this year ahead of a US operation targeting Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro.

 

 

 

 

Iran relies primarily on its ballistic missile arsenal for deterrence and retaliatory capability, maintaining the largest missile inventory in the Middle East despite losses sustained in June 2025.

 

While exact figures are not publicly disclosed, assessments suggest Iran retains roughly 2,000 medium-range missiles alongside a substantial number of short-range systems.

 

The International Institute for Strategic Studies notes that Iran's missile force is designed less for precision strikes and more as a deterrent, given its lower accuracy compared with advanced US strike networks.

 

Iran's Tasnim news agency reported on Thursday that the defence ministry had delivered 1,000 new drones to the Iranian army, highlighting their use for long-range surveillance amid the presence of US warships near Iranian waters.

 

The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps has also unveiled a network of underwater missile tunnels beneath the Strait of Hormuz.

 

Earlier this week, Iranian state media broadcast footage of IRGC naval commanders inside the facilities, claiming they house hundreds of long-range cruise missiles, including the domestically produced Qader-380L, with a reported range exceeding 1,000km.

 

Iranian officials framed the tunnels as part of a broader maritime deterrence strategy, warning that the Strait of Hormuz would “not remain safe” for foreign military vessels in the event of an attack and asserting dominance over the strait’s air, surface and subsurface domains.

 

However, strains on Iran’s military and logistical infrastructure have also surfaced beyond the immediate theatre. On Thursday, an Iranian dry cargo vessel ran aground near the Russian port of Makhachkala on the Caspian Sea, according to Russia's defence ministry-linked Zvezda television channel.

 

While no casualties were reported and Iranian officials downplayed the incident, it highlighted vulnerabilities in Iran’s transport and supply networks amid mounting pressure.

 

 

 

 

The stark military imbalance between the United States and Iran - with Washington’s dominance in air power, naval reach and global force projection contrasted with Tehran’s reliance on asymmetric deterrence - has increasingly shifted confrontation into the information domain.

 

Unable to match US conventional capabilities directly, Iran has sought to amplify perceptions of its strength, creating space for exaggerated or misleading narratives.

 

This approach has particular resonance domestically. With Iran facing protests and a crisis of public confidence, displays of military power serve not only as external deterrence but also as a tool of internal messaging.

 

Since the escalation in rhetoric between Tehran and Washington, a wave of misleading claims has circulated online.

 

One widely shared video this week claimed to show Iran conducting “nuclear exercises” in response to US threats, but the footage was later identified as showing an explosion at an ammunition depot in Russia’s Tver region following a Ukrainian drone strike in September 2024.

 

Iran has also released an AI-generated video depicting its hypersonic Fattah missile striking the USS Abraham Lincoln, blurring the line between military signalling and digital theatre.

 

 

 

The stark military imbalance between the United States and Iran, with Washington’s dominance in advanced air power, naval reach and global force projection set against Tehran’s reliance on asymmetric tools and regional deterrence, has increasingly pushed the confrontation into the information domain.

 

Unable to match US conventional capabilities head-on, Iran has sought to inflate perceptions of its strength, creating fertile ground for exaggerated or outright false narratives.

 

This strategy carries particular weight at home. With the regime facing widespread protests and a deepening crisis of legitimacy, projecting military power has become a tool not only of external deterrence but also of internal control.

 

Amplified displays of strength — real or fabricated — are used to reassure domestic audiences that the state remains capable of confronting its enemies, even as public confidence in the leadership has eroded.

 

Since the escalation in rhetoric between Tehran and Washington, a wave of misleading claims has circulated on social media.

 

In one prominent example, a video shared by hundreds of Farsi-language accounts this week claimed to show Iran conducting "nuclear exercises" in response to USS threats.

 

In reality, the footage showed an explosion at an ammunition storage depot in Russia’s Tver region, struck by Ukrainian drones in September 2024.

 

Iran has also released an AI-generated propaganda video depicting its hypersonic Fattah missile destroying the USS Abraham Lincoln, blurring the line between military signalling and digital theatre.   - (ANA) -

 

AB/ANA/01 February 2026 - - -