US moves six more F-22 stealth fighter jets to West Asia ahead of nuclear talks: Is Washington planning attack?

US moves six more F-22 stealth jets to West Asia ahead of Iran nuclear talks, raises strike questions

The United States and Iran are set to hold a third round of nuclear talks in Geneva on Thursday, as reports indicate the US military is reinforcing its presence in West Asia with additional F-22 stealth fighter jets.

According to open-source flight data cited by The Times of Israel, six US F-22 fighter jets are being moved toward the region and are expected to be deployed at an Israeli Air Force base.

Flight tracking information shows the aircraft departed from the United States on Wednesday and linked up with refuelling planes midair. They are currently en route to Royal Air Force Lakenheath in England.

Earlier this week, 12 F-22s stationed at RAF Lakenheath took off for Israel, although one returned due to a technical issue. The remaining 11 jets have since landed at an airbase in southern Israel, an Israeli defence official told The Times of Israel.

US sharpens rhetoric against Iran

The military movements come amid heightened rhetoric from Washington. In his State of the Union address, US President Donald Trump described Iran as the “world’s number one sponsor of terrorism” and accused Tehran of “pursuing sinister nuclear ambitions.”

He further alleged that Iran had “already developed missiles that can threaten Europe and our bases overseas, and they're working to build missiles that will soon reach the United States of America.”

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio also raised concerns ahead of the Geneva talks, pointing to disagreements over Iran’s missile programme.

“I would say that the Iranian insistence on not discussing ballistic missiles is a big, big problem,” Rubio told reporters on the eve of the fresh round of negotiations, according to AFP.

“The president wants diplomatic solutions. He prefers them greatly,” Rubio said.

He added that while the immediate focus remains on nuclear issues, broader security concerns would need to be addressed. “Hopefully they're productive, but eventually we'll have to have conversations about more than just a nuclear program.”

Iranian diplomats have outlined three preconditions they consider essential for the success of the talks, though it remains unclear whether Trump is prepared to accept them.

Iranian officials claim that US special envoy Steve Witkoff, who is heading to Geneva along with Jared Kushner, had signalled acceptance of these principles during two previous rounds of indirect negotiations.