February 8, 2026
Kyle Anzalone
US forces conducted live-fire military drills in the Persian Gulf. The exercise happened as President Donald Trump is threatening to attack Iran.
Kyle Anzalone
US forces conducted live-fire military drills in the Persian Gulf. The exercise happened as President Donald Trump is threatening to attack Iran.
“Last week, Navy Sailors from USS
Santa Barbara participated in the exercise Killer Tomato, a live-fire maritime
gunnery exercise conducted in the Central Command’s area of responsibility and
supported by an Air Force A-10 Thunderbolt II aircraft,” US Central Command
(CENTCOM) posted on X Sunday.
It continued, “The exercise provided realistic training to improve surface gunnery proficiency while reinforcing joint air-maritime integration, combat readiness, and deterrence across the region.”
Last month, the US held war games across the Middle East. Additionally, the US and Israeli military held joint naval drills.
President Donald Trump is threatening to attack Iran. He has reportedly ordered the Department of War to develop battle plans for a decisive strike on Iran. The President is also considering other actions to create regime change in Iran, including an oil blockade.
Over the past month, Trump has significantly increased the US military footprint in the Middle East by sending an aircraft carrier strike group, warplanes, and advanced missile defense to the region.
Dave DeCamp
Trump deployed the US aircraft carrier and its strike group to prepare for a potential attack on Iran, and Witkoff and Kushner’s visit to the US warship signals to Iran that the threat of a US bombing campaign is still very real despite the diplomatic engagement.
Video released by US Central Command shows Witkoff and Kushner standing on the flight deck of the Lincoln next to Adm. Brad Cooper, the commander of CENTCOM, as aircraft take off. An F-35 fighter jet from the Lincoln shot down an Iranian drone in the Arabian Sea on February 3.
While maintaining its threat to bomb Iran, the US has also ramped up the economic pressure by imposing new Iran-related sanctions, the same day Witkoff and Kushner met with Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi. The sanctions targeted ships and companies the US accused of transporting Iranian oil.
Ahead of the talks in Oman, US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent boasted that the Trump administration’s “maximum pressure campaign” against Iran collapsed the country’s economy and sparkedthe protest and unrest that began at the end of December.
Any diplomatic deal with Iran would need to include sanctions relief, but it’s unclear if an agreement will be reached, as Israel is pushing for the maximalist position, which is designed to sabotage the talks and ensure war.
Axios reported that Netanyahu was initially set to visit the US on February 18, but Israel requested that the meeting be moved up following the Oman talks. The meeting will mark the sixth time Trump hosts Netanyahu in the US during this administration.
In a statement on the upcoming meeting, Netanyahu’s office said that any negotiations with Iran “must include limitations on ballistic missiles and a halting of the support for the Iranian axis.”
The demand that Iran must place limits on its missiles, the country’s only deterrence and way to launch counter-attacks against the US and Israel, is designed to sabotage diplomacy and ensure that there is war. Iran has made clear that its missile program isn’t up for discussion, something it reiterated following the Oman talks.
“Missiles are never negotiable because they are a defense issue,” Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi told Al Jazeera on Saturday. Araghchi led the talks for Iran in Oman and met with US envoy Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner, President Trump’s son-in-law, who holds no official position in the administration but has been deeply involved in Middle East policy.
According to The Jerusalem Post, Israel has conveyed to the US that Iran’s missile program is a “red line” and that it’s willing to act alone, though the US would likely defend Israel from any Iranian counterattacks as it did during the 12-Day War back in June 2025. When Trump met Netanyahu back in December, he said that he was willing to back an Israeli attack on Iran if the Islamic Republic “continues” its missile program.
Following the US-Iran negotiations in Iran, Trump said the talks were “very good” and claimed Tehran was willing to do more to reach a deal than it was last year, though Araghchi also said Iran would not agree to end its nuclear enrichment program.
During negotiations last year, the US demanded zero enrichment, which Tehran rejected, but a potential agreement was on the table to establish a regional nuclear consortium involving Iran and Gulf Arab states. Under the proposed deal, uranium enrichment would occur at the joint nuclear site. The potential location of the site wasn’t clear, and negotiations were still underway when Israel launched the 12-Day War on June 13 with full US backing.
Hours before the first Israeli strikes hit, Trump claimed in a post on Truth Social that he was committed to diplomacy with Iran, suggesting that he could be using the current talks as cover to prepare for war. According to Axios, he said after the Oman talks that he was in “no rush” to attack Iran because he was still putting military assets “in position” in the region and that he preferred a diplomatic deal. “They know that if they don’t make a deal, the consequences are very steep,” he said.
It continued, “The exercise provided realistic training to improve surface gunnery proficiency while reinforcing joint air-maritime integration, combat readiness, and deterrence across the region.”
Last month, the US held war games across the Middle East. Additionally, the US and Israeli military held joint naval drills.
President Donald Trump is threatening to attack Iran. He has reportedly ordered the Department of War to develop battle plans for a decisive strike on Iran. The President is also considering other actions to create regime change in Iran, including an oil blockade.
Over the past month, Trump has significantly increased the US military footprint in the Middle East by sending an aircraft carrier strike group, warplanes, and advanced missile defense to the region.
Dave DeCamp
Trump deployed the aircraft
carrier USS Abraham Lincoln to the region to prepare for a potential attack on
Iran
US special envoy Steve Witkoff
and Jared Kushner, President Trump’s son-in-law, visited the US aircraft
carrier Abraham Lincoln as it was operating in the Arabian Sea on Saturday
after meeting with Iranian officials in Oman the day before.Trump deployed the US aircraft carrier and its strike group to prepare for a potential attack on Iran, and Witkoff and Kushner’s visit to the US warship signals to Iran that the threat of a US bombing campaign is still very real despite the diplomatic engagement.
Video released by US Central Command shows Witkoff and Kushner standing on the flight deck of the Lincoln next to Adm. Brad Cooper, the commander of CENTCOM, as aircraft take off. An F-35 fighter jet from the Lincoln shot down an Iranian drone in the Arabian Sea on February 3.
While maintaining its threat to bomb Iran, the US has also ramped up the economic pressure by imposing new Iran-related sanctions, the same day Witkoff and Kushner met with Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi. The sanctions targeted ships and companies the US accused of transporting Iranian oil.
Ahead of the talks in Oman, US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent boasted that the Trump administration’s “maximum pressure campaign” against Iran collapsed the country’s economy and sparkedthe protest and unrest that began at the end of December.
Any diplomatic deal with Iran would need to include sanctions relief, but it’s unclear if an agreement will be reached, as Israel is pushing for the maximalist position, which is designed to sabotage the talks and ensure war.
The Israeli leader has said any
deal with Iran must include limits on its missiles, a demand meant to sabotage
diplomacy and ensure war
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin
Netanyahu will meet with President Trump at the White House on Wednesday as
Israel is pushing for a new war with Iran following talks between US and
Iranian officials in Oman on Friday.Axios reported that Netanyahu was initially set to visit the US on February 18, but Israel requested that the meeting be moved up following the Oman talks. The meeting will mark the sixth time Trump hosts Netanyahu in the US during this administration.
In a statement on the upcoming meeting, Netanyahu’s office said that any negotiations with Iran “must include limitations on ballistic missiles and a halting of the support for the Iranian axis.”
The demand that Iran must place limits on its missiles, the country’s only deterrence and way to launch counter-attacks against the US and Israel, is designed to sabotage diplomacy and ensure that there is war. Iran has made clear that its missile program isn’t up for discussion, something it reiterated following the Oman talks.
“Missiles are never negotiable because they are a defense issue,” Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi told Al Jazeera on Saturday. Araghchi led the talks for Iran in Oman and met with US envoy Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner, President Trump’s son-in-law, who holds no official position in the administration but has been deeply involved in Middle East policy.
According to The Jerusalem Post, Israel has conveyed to the US that Iran’s missile program is a “red line” and that it’s willing to act alone, though the US would likely defend Israel from any Iranian counterattacks as it did during the 12-Day War back in June 2025. When Trump met Netanyahu back in December, he said that he was willing to back an Israeli attack on Iran if the Islamic Republic “continues” its missile program.
Following the US-Iran negotiations in Iran, Trump said the talks were “very good” and claimed Tehran was willing to do more to reach a deal than it was last year, though Araghchi also said Iran would not agree to end its nuclear enrichment program.
During negotiations last year, the US demanded zero enrichment, which Tehran rejected, but a potential agreement was on the table to establish a regional nuclear consortium involving Iran and Gulf Arab states. Under the proposed deal, uranium enrichment would occur at the joint nuclear site. The potential location of the site wasn’t clear, and negotiations were still underway when Israel launched the 12-Day War on June 13 with full US backing.
Hours before the first Israeli strikes hit, Trump claimed in a post on Truth Social that he was committed to diplomacy with Iran, suggesting that he could be using the current talks as cover to prepare for war. According to Axios, he said after the Oman talks that he was in “no rush” to attack Iran because he was still putting military assets “in position” in the region and that he preferred a diplomatic deal. “They know that if they don’t make a deal, the consequences are very steep,” he said.
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