The US attack on Iran follows a major build-up of US firepower in the region, with a naval gathering including the USS Gerald R Ford, the world’s largest warship, along with additional destroyers in the area. One has been sent to the Northern Arabian Sea, and another is en route, bringing the total number of US destroyers in the wider region to thirteen, a Navy official said.
Air assets have also been concentrated at strategic bases. Muwaffaq Salti Air Base in eastern Jordan has emerged as a central node for the buildup, receiving at least two waves of attack aircraft between mid-January and mid-February, bringing the total number stationed there to nearly 30.
What is facing is an Iranian regime with one of the largest ballistic missile stockpiles in the Middle East. Iran has several missiles capable of reaching all US bases and sites with an American military presence across the region.
The most recent demonstration of Iran’s missile capabilities came during the 12-day war with Israel in June 2025. During the conflict, Tehran launched volleys of ballistic missiles toward Israel, killing dozens of people and damaging residential buildings and apartment blocks in the country’s centre and north.
An analysis by the Institute for the Study of War and the AEI Critical Threats Project found that Israel likely destroyed around a third of Iran’s missile launchers during the fighting.
Iranian officials, however, have repeatedly said the country has recovered from the damage sustained in the war and that its missile capabilities are now stronger than before.
On the US side, the firepower is led by the USS Gerald R Ford supercarrier.
The attacks will disrupt traffic through the Strait of Hormuz, a narrow waterway linking the Persian Gulf with the Arabian Sea.
The strait is vital to global energy markets, carrying about a fifth of the world’s total oil consumption. More than 20 million barrels a day of crude, condensate and refined fuels transited the passage on average last year, according to the EIA.
However, conflict between the US and Iran is not new and there is a history of tensions and clashes dating back decades.