US and Iranian officials are scheduled to meet in Switzerland on Tuesday for a second round of talks. Iran says the discussions will focus on its nuclear program and the potential lifting of economic sanctions imposed by the US, while Washington has indicated it may raise additional regional security concerns.
The Abraham Lincoln leads a strike group that includes three guided missile destroyers, carries 90 aircraft including F-35 fighters, and has a crew of 5,680. The carrier was reportedly deployed to the Gulf region in late January, but satellite imagery had not detected its position until now. It has been located off the coast of Oman, approximately 700 km from Iran.
The US has also reportedly deployed the USS Gerald R. Ford, the world’s largest warship, to the Middle East, which could arrive within the next three weeks.
The arrival of the Abraham Lincoln adds to a growing US military presence in the region over recent weeks. BBC Verify has tracked an increase in US destroyers, combat ships, and fighter jets deployed across the Middle East.
Satellite imagery from the European Sentinel-2 system shows the Abraham Lincoln approximately 150 miles (240 km) off the coast of Oman in the Arabian Sea. The carrier had not been visible since entering the region in January, likely due to limited satellite coverage over open water.
In total, 12 US ships have been identified in the Middle East through satellite monitoring, including the Abraham Lincoln and three accompanying Arleigh Burke-class destroyers forming the carrier strike group, two other long-range missile-capable destroyers, and three specialist ships positioned at Bahrain naval station. Additional destroyers have been spotted near the US Souda Bay base in the eastern Mediterranean, with another in the Red Sea.
US aircraft movements in the region have also increased, with more F-15 and EA-18 fighter jets stationed at Muwaffaq Salti Air Base in Jordan, alongside heightened activity of US cargo, refueling, and communications planes arriving from the US and Europe.
This military build-up underscores escalating US-Iran tensions just ahead of critical diplomatic talks.
