As the confrontation between the United States and Iran reaches its peak ahead of the weekend, timed with the expected arrival of the aircraft carrier USS Lincoln in the Middle East, US President Donald Trump now finds himself at a pivotal moment, one that may prove decisive in a conflict that has been unfolding for decades.
The president’s directive has been clear: keep all options on the table. And that is precisely the process now underway. In recent days, a wave of fighter jets, refueling aircraft, destroyers, and other naval assets has been deployed to the Middle East, specifically to the area of responsibility of US Central Command.
Currently leading CENTCOM is Admiral Brad Cooper. “It is critical today that we provide the maximum maneuver space and maximum decision-making space to the Secretary of Defense and to the President, so they can determine key plans and directions,” Cooper said during a recent hearing.
Cooper is no stranger to Iran. In testimony before the Senate ahead of his appointment, he noted that he had lived for several years just 100 miles from Iran, referring to his tenure as commander of the Fifth Fleet and the naval forces of US Central Command, a role he assumed in 2021.
Among other things, following the signing of the Abraham Accords, initiated during Trump’s first term, Cooper promoted cooperation between Israel and Arab states in the region.
“I think of all the US military commanders in the region during the Abraham Accords, he was the most active, he was the one who ‘jumped into the water’ fastest to help make it real on the ground, or in his case, at sea,” Dan Shapiro told The Jerusalem Post.
Shapiro previously served as US ambassador to Israel and later as assistant secretary of defense for Middle East affairs. “His goal was for Israel and Arab states not merely to sign peace agreements on paper, but to implement them through serious military cooperation.”
Under Trump’s direction, Cooper was also among the commanders of Poseidon Archer, an operation involving airstrikes against Houthi targets in Yemen after the group attacked American and other international vessels in the Red Sea.
“The Iranians and the Revolutionary Guards are operating inside Yemen and assisting the Houthis,” Cooper said in an interview with 60 Minutes. After the Houthis conveyed to the US administration that they would stop targeting ships in the Red Sea, the operation ended.
When Israel launched Operation Rising Lion, Cooper served as deputy to General Michael Kurilla, the previous commander of CENTCOM. In that role, he was responsible for US-Israel coordination on defense against Iranian ballistic missiles and drones.
Arrival of forces gives Trump options against Iran
US Central Command was also a major component in the American operation to destroy Iran’s three primary nuclear sites: an operation initiated under Trump and dubbed Midnight Hammer. Trump warned Iran that if it attempted to rebuild the sites, he would bomb them again.
The arrival of these forces in the region gives Trump a wide range of possible actions against Iran, from direct military strikes to the possibility, raised by foreign diplomats in conversations with the Post, of a naval blockade aimed at preventing Iran from exporting oil.
Such a model mirrors what the US President did in Venezuela several weeks before ordering an operation to capture former Venezuelan president Nicolás Maduro and his wife and bring them to trial in the United States on charges related to drug trafficking.
“I don’t want to go into the steps I may take,” Trump told reporters on Thursday in Davos, adding, “We’ll see what happens in Iran.”
The American president has proven more than once that when he threatens action, he often follows through. The massive force posture that will come under CENTCOM’s command in the coming days gives the president the ability to issue the order to “act.”
As always, Trump keeps his cards close to his chest, refusing to reveal his next moves. Yet many believe the substantial deployment to the region is not there by accident.