The US Navy aircraft carrier USS Abraham Lincoln, as captured by satellite on February 15, 2026, by the European Space Agency (ESA). The location is in the Arabian Sea, approximately 700 km off the coast of Iran. [Photo by EUROPEAN SPACE AGENCY / AFP] 

As the United States intensifies military and diplomatic pressure on Iran ahead of bilateral nuclear negotiations scheduled for February 17 in Geneva, the presence of US Navy carrier strike groups (CSGs) deployed in the Middle East has been captured in satellite imagery.

According to a report on February 16 by "BBC Verify," the open-source intelligence reporting team of the British broadcaster BBC, a satellite photo taken the previous day by the European Space Agency's (ESA) 'Sentinel-2' satellite captured the Nimitz-class US nuclear-powered aircraft carrier USS Abraham Lincoln in the Arabian Sea, 700 km from Iran and 240 km from the coast of Oman.

The Lincoln, along with other warships including three Arleigh Burke-class destroyers, and carrier-based aircraft, forms a CSG.

The BBC also reported that two destroyers with long-range missile strike capabilities and three combat special warfare vessels were located near the coast of Bahrain, a naval base in the Persian Gulf.

Separately, two destroyers were spotted in the eastern Mediterranean near the 'Souda Bay' base on the Greek island of Crete, and one destroyer was seen in the Red Sea.

The BBC explained that in addition to the movements of these 12 US warships near the Middle East, satellite imagery confirms the reinforcement of other US military assets, including military aircraft.

At the Muwaffaq Salti Air Base in Jordan, the number of F-15 and EA-18 jet fighters has increased, and there has been an increase in the movement of cargo planes, refueling tankers, and communication aircraft heading towards the Middle East from the US and Europe.

Additionally, another CSG, centered around the Gerald R. Ford, the world's largest warship, is also moving towards the Middle East.

US CNN reported that US Air Force assets, including refueling tankers and jet fighters previously deployed in Britain, are being repositioned closer to the Middle East.

Furthermore, the US military is sending additional air defense systems to the Middle East, and the deployment orders for several US military units, which were expected to rotate in the coming weeks, have been extended.

CNN also reported, citing flight tracking data, that US military cargo planes have been transporting equipment from the US to Jordan, Bahrain, and Saudi Arabia in recent weeks.

The Nimitz-class aircraft carrier USS Abraham Lincoln (CVN 72), Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyer USS Frank E. Petersen (DDG 121), and Lewis and Clark-class dry cargo ship USNS Carl Brashear (T-AKE 7), part of the US Navy's Abraham Lincoln Carrier Strike Group (CSG), captured in the Arabian Sea on February 6, 2026. [EPA/PETTY OFFICER 1ST CLASS JESSE MONFORD/US NAVY HANDOUT]

The number of US military cargo flights arriving in the Middle East in recent weeks has reached approximately 250.

On the evening of February 13, multiple fighter jets received diplomatic clearance to enter Jordanian airspace.

CNN also reported that satellite imagery captured 12 US F-15 fighter jets deployed at Jordan's Muwaffaq Salti Air Base since January 25.

Earlier, on February 6, when nuclear negotiations between the US and Iran resumed in Oman after an eight-month hiatus, the US Central Command publicly announced the deployment of the Abraham Lincoln CSG in the Arabian Sea, thereby pressuring Iran.

In response, on February 16, the Iranian Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) Navy began military drills in the Strait of Hormuz, located between the Arabian Sea and the Persian Gulf, between Oman and Iran.

The Strait of Hormuz is a highly strategic choke point, through which one-fifth of the world's oil and gas is transported.

Karg Island in the strait is Iran's main crude oil export port, and footage of IRGC Commander Mohammad Pakpour, who is overseeing the drills, flying in a helicopter over the island was also released by Iranian media.

Justin Crump, a military intelligence expert and CEO of risk and intelligence analysis firm Sybilline, told the BBC that the scale and sustainability of the US military's current preparations in the Middle East are greater than those seen during the operation to capture Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro in January of this year or the operation to bomb Iranian nuclear facilities in June of last year.

He predicted that by utilizing the warships and military aircraft amassed by the US, along with eight airbases in the Middle East, the US could conduct approximately 800 aircraft sorties per day "at a significant and sustained high intensity" with the aim of neutralizing Iran's response.

He assessed that the US military preparations are designed to neutralize any potential counterattacks by Iran against US military assets and Israel in the region.

Nuclear negotiations between the US and Iran, which were suspended for eight months after the US and Israel bombed Iranian nuclear facilities in June last year, resumed on February 6, with negotiations scheduled for February 17 in Geneva.

The US is advocating for a comprehensive approach that addresses issues such as Iran's nuclear program, missile systems, support for regional proxies, and suppression of anti-government protests.

However, Iran is insisting that issues other than its nuclear program will not be on the agenda.

President Trump is strongly pressuring Iran, stating that if the issues cannot be resolved diplomatically, military force will be unavoidable.