India, Jan. 27 -- The Arabian Sea tensions are no longer hypothetical. The standoff between Washington and Tehran has entered a clearly muscular phase as the USS Abraham Lincoln carrier strike group approaches Iran's strategic orbit. Diplomats, markets, and armed forces are all responding to what may be the most significant conflict between the United States and Iran in recent memory.

The Nimitz-class aircraft carrier Abraham Lincoln's arrival is not a standard signal. With over 70 combat aircraft, including F-35Cs and F/A-18s, the strike group is supported by destroyers like the USS Spruance and USS Michael Murphy. The carrier has cleared important transit routes, according to Pentagon officials, and it will soon be operating under U.S....