US to Send Fighter Squadrons and Missile Defense Systems to Iran: Reports

In the coming days, the Pentagon will begin deploying fighter squadrons and missile defense systems to bases near Iran, in addition to an aircraft carrier strike group that could arrive in the region within a week, ABC News reports, citing informed sources.

The Air Force and missile defense forces are expected to be stationed at American bases in the Persian Gulf, where the total number of U.S. troops currently stands at 30,000.

ABC News notes that the military asset transfer will provide additional options for U.S. President Donald Trump to strike Iran in the future should he choose to do so.

Currently, three guided-missile destroyers are already deployed in the U.S. Central Command's (CENTCOM) area of responsibility in the Middle East: the USS Mitscher, USS McFaul, and USS Roosevelt, all armed with Tomahawk missiles.

U.S. military sources have not disclosed any plans for using strategic bombers in a potential strike against Iran. The Washington Post suggests that the United States may deploy B-2 stealth bombers based on a continental base, which conducted 36-hour continuous flights last June as part of a mission to strike Iran's nuclear facilities.