By Shelby Holliday

The U.S. began attacking Iran on Saturday following a massive buildup of combat power.

-- Two aircraft carriers, the USS Abraham Lincoln and the USS Gerald R. Ford, are within striking distance of Iran.

-- The carriers are loaded with jet fighters that can attack targets, as well as electronic-warfare planes that can jam enemy defenses.

-- Navy guided-missile destroyers are operating in the region. They can fire Tomahawk cruise missiles as well as defensive interceptors.

-- The Air Force has also moved dozens of jet fighters and support aircraft at U.S. overseas bases: Muwaffaq Salti Air Base in Jordan, Ovda Air Base in Israel and Prince Sultan Air Base in Saudi Arabia, according to flight-tracking and open-source data.

-- These include F-35s, F-15s, F-22s, F-16s, E-3 Sentry Airborne Warning and Control System and E-11A Battlefield Airborne Communications Node aircraft.

The Pentagon has also moved additional land-based air defenses into place across the Middle East. The defenses include THAAD and Patriot anti-missile systems.

This item is part of a Wall Street Journal live coverage event. The full stream can be found by searching P/WSJL (WSJ Live Coverage).

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February 28, 2026 03:35 ET (08:35 GMT)

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