As President Donald Trump considers a major strike on Iran after discussions about limiting that nation’s nuclear program and ballistic missile production haven’t progressed, the US military has accelerated a weeks-long buildup of military hardware in the Middle East,

Most of the targeting is done by geography in the Strait of Hormuz. Megaboats squeeze through narrow, well-formed channels and the sea becomes littered– shallow water, thousand tonne commercial traffic and clamorous acoustics that smear what sonar operators wish to hear.

The US Navy’s aircraft carrier USS Abraham Lincoln and its escort ships have been moved toward the Middle East in response to rising tensions with Tehran, underlining the classic contest between an “armada” that projects conventional power and a “swarm” of lower-cost asymmetric options Iran favours.

Trump says US ‘armada’ is heading towards the Gulf, raising fears of a military escalation in the region.

The US armada, led by aircraft carrier USS Abraham Lincoln Carrier Strike Group (CSG), entered the Middle Eastern waters on Monday, ramping up tensions in the region.

Iran has revealed underwater missile tunnels and warned it could disrupt the Strait of Hormuz as tensions with the US escalate.

The USS Abraham Lincoln carrier strike group is now in the Indian Ocean, putting it closer to assist in any potential US operations targeting Iran, two sources told CNN.

As tensions escalate following early January threats from President Trump over Iran's crackdown on civilian protesters, American naval strike groups and strategic assets are repositioning in a pattern that mirrors previous military operations against Tehran.

Saudi Arabia is reportedly moving to acquire diesel-electric submarines, signalling a major shift in its naval posture and long-term military strategy in the region. A Royal Saudi Naval Forces official was quoted as saying that undersea warfare is no longer optional,