Bush Iran War Plans - 4 Strike Groups in the Persian Gulf

I wouldn't put any carriers in the Med. No point in relying on allies that
have to share a border with Iran

Carrier's don't often enter the Persian Gulf, they prefer not to
transit the Strait of Hormuz choke point and to stay out in the Arabian
Sea. As such, their strike aircraft would have a difficult time getting
to targets in NW Iran, including Tehran.

They would HAVE to have two carriers in the NE Med, with in-flight
refueling over Turkey to cover that area. This is the same thing they
did during the Iraq invasion.

We also have a functioning Air Force base at Kirkuk, Iraq. There is a
squadron of F-16's based there.

Of course, they can conduct a single heavy strike at any time with what
is currently on-station.

In that scenario, the CAWs and F-16 squadron would just provide force
protection (CAP, BARCap, SEAD). The carrier's escorts would conduct
cruise missle strikes with their BGM-109's, in coordination with
AGM-86Cs from B-52s out of Diego Garcia. Then you'd have B-1s and B-2s
conducting precision strikes using GAMs and JDAMs.

This can be done at any time within a couple of day's notice, which is
why those patrol stations are always maintained, it just can't be
sustained without additional assets.