<div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>The United States military is continuing a significant build-up of air and naval assets in the Middle East ahead of planned talks with Iran in Geneva this week.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>The pieces are being moved into place both to intimidate Tehran and to have options to strike inside the country should negotiations over its nuclear program fail, multiple sources familiar with the matter told CNN.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>US Air Force assets based in the United Kingdom, including refuelling tankers and fighter jets, are being repositioned closer to the Middle East, according to sources familiar with the movements.</span></div></div><div><div id="adspot-mobile-medium"></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><strong><span>READ MORE:</span></strong><span> </span><a href="https://www.9news.com.au/world/donald-trump-phone-call-with-benjamin-netanyahu-threatens-iran/b847b2ad-586d-4638-9caf-76d7c0959653" rel="" target="_blank" title="Donald Trump threatens Iran with repeat of 'Midnight Hammer' after meeting with Netanyahu"><strong><span>Donald Trump threatens Iran with repeat of 'Midnight Hammer' after meeting with Netanyahu</span></strong></a></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>The US is also continuing to flow air defence systems to the region, according to a US official, and several American military units deployed in the region expected to rotate out in the coming weeks have had their orders extended, said one source familiar with the matter.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>Dozens of US military cargo planes have transported equipment from the US to Jordan, Bahrain and Saudi Arabia in recent weeks, according to flight-tracking data.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>On Friday evening, multiple fighter aircraft were also given diplomatic clearance to enter Jordanian airspace, according to open-source air traffic communications. Satellite images show 12 US F-15 attack planes have been positioned at Jordan's Muwaffaq Salti Air Base since January 25.</span></div></div><div><div class="OUTBRAIN" data-reactroot="" data-src="//www.9news.com.au/world/us-increases-military-pressure-on-iran-ahead-of-talks/22330d65-102d-4034-983f-30de6d0dd560" data-widget-id="AR_5"></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>More broadly, open-source flight data reveals there have been over 250 US cargo flights into the region.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>US President Donald Trump has been threatening military action against Iran for weeks, beginning last month when he warned Iranian leaders that he was prepared to order an attack if the government did not stop killing protesters. And on Friday, he said he believes regime change "would be the best thing that could happen" in Iran.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>The build-up of military assets and emphasis by Trump and senior members of the administration that regime change is preferable has the region on edge and increases the stakes for tonight's talks in Switzerland.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><strong><span>READ MORE:</span></strong><span> </span><a href="https://www.9news.com.au/world/how-us-military-strike-on-iran-could-unfold/ccdda8cd-d7aa-4216-9738-8073b6dfcf41" rel="" target="_blank" title="How Australian spy base could play role in US strike on Iran"><strong><span>How Australian spy base could play role in US strike on Iran</span></strong></a></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><h3><strong><span>'No one knows' who would take over</span></strong></h3></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>But the Trump administration still does not appear to have a clear understanding of what would come next if it removed the Iranian regime, according to two sources familiar with the matter.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>US Secretary of State Marco Rubio echoed this during a congressional hearing late last month, telling legislators that "no one knows" who would take over if the regime fell.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>The likely alternatives could be even more problematic for the US and its allies, sources said. In the short term, the hard-line Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) would likely fill any leadership void, the US intelligence community believes, according to sources.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>The IRGC "is definitely prominent and functions above the standard military bureaucracy, but it is hard to predict exactly what would happen in a regime collapse scenario," said one source familiar with recent US intelligence reporting on the matter.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>Whereas US intelligence officials had a very good understanding of the power dynamics in Venezuela before the US captured then-President Nicolás Maduro last month, they lack the same insight into who, if anyone, would constitute a viable replacement for Iran's supreme leader, sources said.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><strong><span>READ MORE:</span></strong><span> </span><a href="https://www.9news.com.au/national/man-shot-at-greenacre-in-serious-condition/173b8be1-7955-4fd9-969a-0cc2618222e6" rel="" target="_blank" title="Former NRL player Matt Utai shot in Sydney drive-by attack"><strong><span>Former NRL player Matt Utai shot in Sydney drive-by attack</span></strong></a></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>Multiple sources said there were legitimate reasons to consider kinetic action several weeks ago at the height of the Iranian protests. At that point, there was a small window of time when US strikes could have potentially tipped the balance in favour of the opposition, providing momentum for Iranians to overthrow their government organically.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>Those sources now wonder whether Trump "missed the moment" and question whether military strikes weeks later would accomplish what they could have last month.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>Unlike last month, the US now has the USS </span><em><span>Abraham Lincoln</span></em><span> carrier strike group in the region, the USS </span><em><span>Gerald Ford</span></em><span> carrier strike group on the way, and fighter jet squadrons and tankers being rapidly repositioned.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>"In case we don't make a deal, we'll need it," Trump said last Friday, when asked why the Ford was headed to the region.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><h3><span>Trump has many strike options</span></h3></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>The build-up gives the US military extensive strike options should Trump order an attack.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>Guided-missile destroyers steaming with the carriers, for example, can carry dozens of Tomahawk cruise missiles with a range of 2000km and conventional warheads. </span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>US Navy carrier strike groups usually operate with an attack submarine that can also launch Tomahawks. F-35 and F-15E fighter jets can carry an array of guided bombs and air-to-surface missiles.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>Among the potential targets for strikes are the headquarters of the IRGC and other military installations beyond Iranian nuclear sites, according to multiple sources.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>There is also some discussion about the US and Israel conducting joint operations, the sources said. Those could resemble Operation Midnight Hammer last year, when the US struck Iranian nuclear sites toward the end of the 12-day Israel-Iran war, they added.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>Regional allies, including the Arab states in the Persian Gulf, are deeply concerned that US military action could destabilise the region. They have lobbied for holding off on military action to give diplomacy more time, according to sources familiar with the talks.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>"Everybody is pushing against a strike," said a diplomat from the region. This person added that Israel is the only regional player that has been urging the US to attack.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>Iran, meanwhile, held further military exercises less than 24 hours ahead of the Geneva talks.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>On Monday, Iran's official Islamic Republic of Iran Broadcasting reported that the IRGC had launched a "valiant defence" of three Iranian islands by land, air and sea that are the subject of a longtime border dispute between Iran and the United Arab Emirates.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>According to the report, IRGC drones are positioned at Iran's southernmost point, ready to confront any aggressors.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><strong><em><span>NEVER MISS A STORY:</span></em></strong><span> </span><em><span>Get your breaking news and exclusive stories first by following us across all platforms.</span></em></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><ul><li><strong><em><span>Download the 9NEWS App here via</span></em></strong><span> </span><a href="https://apps.apple.com/au/app/9news/id1010533727" target="_blank"><strong><em><span>Apple</span></em></strong></a><span> </span><strong><em><span>and</span></em></strong><span> </span><a href="https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=nineNewsAlerts.nine.com&amp;hl=en_AU&amp;pli=1" target="_blank"><strong><em><span>Google Play</span></em></strong></a></li><li><strong><em><span>Make 9News your preferred source on Google by</span></em></strong><span> </span><a href="https://9.nine.com.au/8x987w" target="_blank"><strong><em><span>ticking this box here</span></em></strong></a></li><li><strong><em><span>Sign up to</span></em></strong><span> </span><a href="https://login.nine.com.au/edm?client_id=nineatnine" target="_blank"><strong><em><span>our breaking newsletter here</span></em></strong></a></li></ul></div></div>