US moves bombers to Pacific as Trump mulls attacking Iran

The US is moving B-2 stealth bombers to the Pacific island of Guam, two officials told Reuters, as President Donald Trump weighs whether the United States 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 14-ton GBU-57 Massive Ordnance Penetrator, designed to destroy targets deep underground. That is the weapon that experts claim 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 said that Diego Garcia is in an ideal position to operate in the Middle East from.
The United States had B-2 bombers on Diego Garcia up until last month, when they were replaced with B-52 bombers.
The Iranian President @drpezeshkian called me.
I reiterated my firm demand: Cécile Kohler and Jacques Paris must be released. Their inhumane detention is unjust. I expect them to return to France.
I also expressed my deep concern about Iran's nuclear program.…
— Emmanuel Macron (@EmmanuelMacron) June 21, 2025
Meanwhile, Israel claimed it had killed a veteran Iranian commander during attacks by both sides in the more than week-long air war, while Iran said it would not negotiate over its nuclear program while under threat.
Israel claims Iran was on the verge of developing nuclear weapons, while Iran said its atomic program is only for peaceful purposes.
However, Israel is widely assumed to possess nuclear weapons. It neither confirms nor denies this.
Mr Trump has said he would take up to two weeks to decide whether the US should bomb Iran for Israel, enough time "to see whether or not people come to their senses", he said
Israel said it had attacked Iran's Isfahan nuclear site for a second time after its air force announced it had also launched salvos against missile storage and launch sites in the centre of the country.
The Israeli army later claimed it was striking military infrastructure in southwest Iran.
Earlier this week, a large number of US tanker aircraft were moved 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.
Israel's attacks have killed 639 people in Iran, according to the Human Rights Activists News Agency, a US-based human rights organisation that tracks Iran.
In Israel, 24 civilians have died in Iranian strikes, according to authorities.
Reuters could not independently verify casualty figures for either side.
Israel's Defence Minister Israel Katz claimed that the military killed a veteran commander in the Quds force, the Iranian Revolutionary Guards' overseas arm, in a strike in an apartment in Iran's Qom.
The veteran commander killed was identified as Saeed Izadi, who led the Palestine Corps of the Quds Force.
Talks show little progress
Iran has repeatedly targeted Tel Aviv where some critical Israeli military assets are also located.
Israel said it had struck dozens of military targets, including missile production sites, a research body it claims was involved in nuclear weapons development in Tehran and military facilities in western and central Iran.
Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi said there was no room for negotiations with the US "until Israeli aggression stops". But he arrived in Geneva yesterday for talks with European foreign ministers at which Europe hopes to establish a path back to diplomacy.
US President Donald Trump reiterated that he would take as long as 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.
Mr Trump said he was unlikely to press Israel to scale back its airstrikes to allow negotiations to continue.
"I think it's very hard to make that request right now. If somebody is winning, it's a little bit harder to do than if somebody is losing, but we're ready, willing and able, and we've been speaking to Iran, and we'll see what happens," he said.
The Geneva talks produced little signs of progress, and Mr Trump said he doubted negotiators would be able to secure a ceasefire.
"Iran doesn't want to speak to Europe. They want to speak to us. Europe is not going to be able to help in this one," Mr Trump said.
Hundreds of US citizens have fled Iran since the air war began, according to a US State Department cable seen by journalists.
Israel's envoy to the United Nations, Danny Danon, told the Security Council his country would not stop its attacks "until Iran's nuclear threat is dismantled".
Iran's UN envoy Amir Saeid Iravani called for Security Council action and said his country was alarmed by reports that the US might join the war.
Russia and China demanded immediate de-escalation.
A senior Iranian official told Reuters that Iran was ready to discuss limitations on uranium enrichment but that it would reject any proposal that barred it from enriching uranium completely, "especially now under Israel's strikes".

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RTÉ News​

24 minutes ago

• RTÉ News​

Iran threatens 'devastating' response to Israel's attacks

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The Irish Sun

2 hours ago

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Tensions in Middle East ramp up as B-2 stealth bombers leave US for possible strike on Iranian targets

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Irish Examiner

2 hours ago

• Irish Examiner

B-2 bombers moving to Guam amid Middle East tensions, US officials say

The United States is moving B-2 bombers to the Pacific island of Guam, two US officials told Reuters on Saturday, as President Donald Trump weighs whether the United States should take part in Israel's strikes against Iran. It was unclear whether the bomber deployment was tied to Middle East tensions. The B-2 can be equipped to carry America's 30,000-pound 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. Read More Nuclear diplomacy stuck, Israel says it killed top Iran commander