U.S. builds up military presence near Iran amid escalation risk

A U.S. Navy carrier strike group led by the aircraft carrier Abraham Lincoln has moved into the region near Iran, according to media reports and flight-tracking data.

Data from Flightradar24 showed at least six C-17 Globemaster III military transport aircraft flew to U.S. bases in Jordan, Qatar, Kuwait and Saudi Arabia over the past 24 hours. Around 20 such flights have been recorded over the past week. The deployment of an EA-37B electronic warfare aircraft was also reported.

The Wall Street Journal, citing U.S. officials, said Washington is reinforcing air and missile defences in the region, including Patriot and THAAD systems. Iranian officials have previously told Reuters that Tehran would view any U.S. attack as a “full-scale war”.