Why is the US sending an armada of F-22 stealth fighters to Israel and Europe?

An armada of F-22 stealth fighter jets is heading to Israel and Europe, as the US moves closer to war with Iran with a huge military build-up in the region.

US fighter jets have flown from RAF Lakenheath in southeast England to a military base in southern Israel on Tuesday, according to The Times of Israel, accompanied by refuelling tankers and cargo flights to the region.

The military movements are believed to be preparations for a massive military assault on Iran, which could be just days away from happening.

Washington has now dispatched more than 150 aircraft to bases in the Middle East and Europe since tensions between Washington and Tehran re-erupted in January, after anti-government demonstrations in Iran were crushed.

A war of words between Tehran and Washington escalated into calls by US President Donald Trump for regime change and Iranian warnings it would close the Strait of Hormuz - where much of the world's oil passes through - in the event of war.

Trump dispatched the USS Abraham Lincoln - along with nine destroyers and three littoral combat ships - to the MENA region, while a second carrier, the USS Gerald R. Ford, is now docked at a US base on Crete.

This unprecedented military presence means that around a third of the US naval fleet is now in the region, heightening concerns that there could be a massive military campaign against Iran, despite ongoing negotiations between the two sides in Geneva.

Talks will take place in the Swiss city on Thursday, with Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi saying that he thinks a deal is within reach and there is a "historic opportunity to strike an unprecedented agreement" with Washington.

He also strongly rejected Israel and US claims that Tehran was working towards the development of a nuclear bomb and said the country's programme is entirely peaceful.

President Trump used his State of the Union address on Wednesday to say that while he sought a deal with Iran to end the crisis, he also believed that Tehran was developing missiles capable of striking the US and was rebuilding nuclear facilities allegedly destroyed in US and Israeli bombing last year.

"My preference is to solve this problem through diplomacy,"  Trump said. "But one thing is certain, I will never allow the world’s number one sponsor of terror, which they are, by far, to have a nuclear weapon. Can’t let that happen."

Iran's foreign ministry on Wednesday dismissed Trump's claim of long-range missile development as "big lies", and again denied that there were large numbers of protesters killed in the anti-government demonstrations.

"Whatever they're alleging in regards to Iran's nuclear programme, Iran's ballistic missiles, and the number of casualties during January's unrest, is simply the repetition of 'big lies'," Iran ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baqaei said on X.