The United States military has moved over 50 fighter jets to the Middle East in the last 24 hours as part of its buildup of air and naval assets near Iran, Axios reported on Tuesday, citing a US official.
A host of F-16, F-22, and F-35 jets were observed heading to the Middle East by independent flight trackers.
The American military buildup comes amid indirect negotiations with Iranian officials, focusing on Iran's nuclear program.
A US official told The Jerusalem Post that progress was made in talks held in Geneva earlier on Tuesday, stressing that many details "still need to be discussed."
The official said Iran relayed that it would make detailed proposals in the next two weeks to close gaps with the US. "The Iranians said they would come back in the next two weeks with detailed proposals to address some of the open gaps in our positions," the official told the Post.
Last week, American media outlets reported that the US will send its largest aircraft carrier, the USS Gerald R. Ford, to bolster its forces in the Middle East ahead of an anticipated clash with Iranian forces.
The USS Gerald R. Ford and its escort ships had previously been deployed in the Caribbean and, according to four anonymous US officials, were informed of their new destination on Thursday.
The USS Abraham Lincoln, as well as other notable air and naval assets, were already deployed to the area in January.
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