Overview
- The Washington Post, citing a source familiar with White House thinking, reported that the U.S. lacks sufficient assets in the Middle East to conduct a full-scale strike on Iran without risking a response.
- The source said ships, aircraft, and personnel were pulled from the region to back Venezuela-related operations, reducing available forces under U.S. Central Command.
- USS Gerald R. Ford was moved to the Caribbean in November and remains there, while USS George Washington and USS Abraham Lincoln are in the Indo-Pacific, with no current plan to send the Lincoln to the Middle East.
- Politico previously reported that a limited U.S. military presence in the region sharply constrains the administration’s options for using force against Iran.
- Iran has faced widespread unrest since late December after a currency slide, with authorities reporting security-force deaths and blaming the U.S. and Israel, as President Donald Trump urges protesters to continue and promises assistance.