Politics
Middle East Tensions Spike As Ex-Pentagon Official Warns Of ‘Highly Kinetic’ War
The United States has stacked enough firepower in the Middle East to wage a “highly kinetic” campaign against Iran if President Trump gives the order, a former senior Pentagon official said as nuclear talks with Tehran head for another round.
Dana Stroul, now research director at The Washington Institute for Near East Policy, said Sunday that Washington’s military posture has shifted from limited strikes to a broader, sustained setup as the U.S. and Iran prepare for indirect negotiations in Oman.
“The US military is ready for a sustained, highly kinetic campaign should President Trump order it, and also prepared to defend allies and partners in the Middle East from Iran’s missiles,” Stroul told Fox News Digital.
“The US military can rapidly reposition assets from all over the world and deploy overwhelmingly lethal force in a short period of time to one theater,” she added, arguing there is “no ally or enemy capable of what we have seen from the US in this current buildup.”
Stroul said the current deployment goes beyond the June 2025 strikes on Iranian-linked nuclear targets, which she described as limited and tightly tailored to hit key facilities without igniting a wider war. This time, she said, the U.S. is building deeper offensive reach and thicker defenses at the same time.
“Two US aircraft carriers and their accompanying vessels and air wings were stationed in the Middle East last summer during the 12-day war and the US operation Midnight Hammer,” she said.
“The addition of the Ford is really important, it expands US offensive capabilities if we go to war with Iran,” Stroul said.
She said Washington has also “increased the number of guided-missile destroyers, fighter aircraft, refuelers, and air defense systems” now flowing into the region.
🚨UPDATE: In a jaw-dropping escalation that has the world holding its breath, the United States has unleashed an unprecedented flood of over 50 fighter jets (including stealth monsters like F-22 Raptors and F-35 Lightning IIs) into the Middle East in just the last 48 hours alone. pic.twitter.com/nzgw9fOoLp
— WORLD NEWS (@_MAGA_NEWS_) February 22, 2026
The carrier presence is the headline. The USS Gerald R. Ford was recently tracked moving east through the Strait of Gibraltar, while the USS Abraham Lincoln has been operating in the Arabian Sea. Stroul said both are expected to fall under U.S. Central Command’s area of responsibility.
“They will both be in the Middle East CENTCOM theater,” Stroul said, adding there could be “one in the eastern Mediterranean and the other in the Arabian Gulf.”
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“There would probably be a combination of reasons for that based on availability, readiness, proximity to the Middle East.
“The Ford was heading home and directed to turn around,” she said.
The buildup runs alongside diplomacy, with Oman again positioned to broker indirect talks on Feb. 26. Stroul argued Iran is trying to project strength while searching for an off-ramp.
“Iran’s leaders are playing a weak hand by combining saber-rattling about their own capabilities, staging preparations and exercises to signal readiness,” she claimed.
“They are attempting to slow this down by pursuing negotiations. No one should be under any illusions about the reality of US dominance — Iran is completely outmatched in conventional terms,” Stroul said.
“Israel dominated Iranian airspace in one day last year, targeted many of Iran’s security leaders, took out half of its missile arsenal, and the US significantly set back its nuclear program,” Stroul said.
She also pointed to Iran’s proxy network, saying it has taken hits after sustained Israeli operations.
“Iran’s long-cultivated network of proxies across the region is degraded after more than two years of Israeli operations, and they declined to enter the war and support Iran’s defense last summer,” Stroul said.
“No matter what Iran’s leaders say, Iran is not able to rebuild a decades-long project in a few months.”
“That said, the US military is in a position to execute whatever orders President Trump gives,” she said. “It is not a question of military readiness, but a political decision.”
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