Nigeria, Feb. 20 -- Over the past few weeks, the United States has significantly expanded its military presence in the Middle East as tensions with Iran intensify. More than 150 US cargo flights, reportedly loaded with weapons and ammunition, have arrived in the region. In the last 48 hours alone, around 50 fighter jets, including F-16s, F-22s, and F-35s, have been deployed.

It is quite a substantial build-up, and analysts have said the scale of the deployment could sustain hundreds of airstrikes per day if required. One thing is clear: the posture appears calibrated for both offensive and defensive operations.

On the other side, Iran's naval drills and heightened state of alert cannot be dismissed lightly. Tehran has signalled readines...