US stealth bombers head over Pacific as Trump mulls Iran strikes
US stealth bombers were flying on Sunday across the Pacific Ocean, according to tracking data and media reports, fuelling speculation over their intended mission as US President Donald Trump considers joining Israel's attack on Iranian nuclear sites.
Multiple B-2 bomber aircraft left a base in the central United States overnight
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Otago Daily Times
42 minutes ago
- Otago Daily Times
US moves B-2 bombers as Trump weighs Iran options
The United States is reportedly moving B-2 bombers to the Pacific island of Guam. File photo: Getty The United States is moving B-2 bombers to the Pacific island of Guam, two officials told Reuters on Saturday (local time), as President Donald Trump weighs whether the US should take part in Israel's strikes against Iran. It was unclear whether the bomber deployment is tied to Middle East tensions. The B-2 can be equipped to carry America's 30,000-pound (13,600kg) GBU-57 Massive Ordnance Penetrator, designed to destroy targets deep underground. That is the weapon that experts say could be used to strike Iran's nuclear program, including Fordow. The officials, speaking on the condition of anonymity, declined to disclose any further details. One official said no forward orders had been given yet to move the bombers beyond Guam. They did not say how many B-2 bombers are being moved. The Pentagon did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Experts and officials are closely watching to see whether the B-2 bombers will move forward to a US-British military base on the Indian Ocean island of Diego Garcia. Experts say that Diego Garcia is in an ideal position to operate in the Middle East. The United States had B-2 bombers on Diego Garcia up until last month, when they were replaced with B-52 bombers. Israel said on Saturday it had killed a veteran Iranian commander during attacks by both sides in the more than week-long air war, while Tehran said it would not negotiate over its nuclear program while under threat. Israel says Iran was on the verge of developing nuclear weapons, while Iran says its atomic program is only for peaceful purposes. Trump has said he would take up to two weeks to decide whether the United States should enter the conflict on Israel's side, enough time "to see whether or not people come to their senses," he said. Reuters was first to report this week the movement of a large number of tanker aircraft to Europe and other military assets to the Middle East, including the deployment of more fighter jets. An aircraft carrier in the Indo-Pacific is also heading to the Middle East.
RNZ News
3 hours ago
- RNZ News
US moves B-2 bombers as Trump weighs Iran options
By Thomas Bordeaux , Natasha Bertrand and Zachary Cohen , CNN US stealth bombers were flying on 21 June 2025 across the Pacific Ocean, according to tracking data and media reports. Photo: US Department of Defense / AFP Multiple US B-2 bombers appear to have taken off from Whiteman Air Force Base in Missouri and are heading west, according to flight tracking data CNN has reviewed, as President Donald Trump weighs his military options over a potential airstrike in Iran. A US defence official said there has been no order given to move forward with any kind of operation against Iran using the B-2s. As of Saturday (local time), the planes are flying over the Pacific and appear to be headed toward Guam. Two US defence officials cautioned that any movement of B-2s does not mean an operation is imminent but rather is intended to provide the president with options. Another US official said moving aircraft can be a show of force and a deterrent as Trump deliberates. B-2 bombers are the only planes capable of carrying the Massive Ordinance Penetrator, which experts have highlighted as the only type of bomb potentially capable of destroying Iran's underground Fordow nuclear facility. Each B-2 bomber is able to carry two of these "bunker buster" bombs, which weigh an impressive 30,000 pounds (13,600kg) each. An Air Force B-2 Spirit taxis on the flight line at Andersen Air Force Base, Guam, 2018. File photo. Photo: Supplied/US Dept of Defense The movement of the B-2 bombers comes as Trump has spent much of the past week in the Situation Room, reviewing attack plans and quizzing officials about the potential consequences of each. The president indicated that his two-week timeline for a decision on US military involvement in Iran is the "maximum" amount of time - and that he could make up his mind sooner. Trump is set to hold a meeting with his national security team in the Oval Office on Saturday and Sunday evening. The White House didn't respond to a request for comment. On Friday night, eight US Air Force KC-135 Stratotankers took off from Altus, Oklahoma, according to data from FlightRadar24. Over Kansas, the tankers refuelled two groups of planes, identified on air traffic control audio by their callsigns MYTEE11 FLT and MYTEE21 FLT. The callsign MYTEE has previously been associated with special activity flights by B-2 bombers, and multiple flight trackers on social media said the planes being refuelled were B-2 bombers out of Whiteman Air Force Base in Missouri. Flight tracking data and air traffic control audio reviewed by CNN show the bombers refuelled again off the coast of California, and over Hawaii. Satellite imagery taken on Thursday showed six KC-135 refuelling planes stationed at Diego Garcia, a remote island in the Indian Ocean that could be used to refuel the bombers should they continue onward to Iran. - CNN
NZ Herald
4 hours ago
- NZ Herald
US stealth bombers head over Pacific as Trump mulls Iran strikes
US stealth bombers were flying on Sunday across the Pacific Ocean, according to tracking data and media reports, fuelling speculation over their intended mission as US President Donald Trump considers joining Israel's attack on Iranian nuclear sites. Multiple B-2 bomber aircraft left a base in the central United States overnight
