As U.S. and Iran negotiators pursue tense nuclear diplomacy, a New York Times report reveals Pentagon war planners are simultaneously preparing for possible military confrontation. The investigation says President Trump’s public airstrike threats initially outpaced America’s readiness, with U.S. forces lacking key air defenses and strike aircraft in position. Now, with the USS Abraham Lincoln and USS Gerald R. Ford carrier groups deployed, destroyers armed with Tomahawks, and Patriot and THAAD defenses reinforced, Washington is building an unprecedented strike posture as fears grow over Iranian retaliation across the Middle East.