American bombers head toward the Pacific as Iran-Israel tension escalates
Several B-2 bombers took off from bases in the United States on Saturday headed for the Pacific, as President Donald Trump publicly weighs striking Iran.
The movement in itself is not a sign that a potential strike is imminent; the Air Force has practiced months of steady rotations of long range bombers to a base in the Indian Ocean. But they come amid escalating tensions in the Middle East between Iran and longtime American ally Israel.
The B-2s, which according to flight trackers were accompanied by aerial refueling aircraft, are the only aircraft capable of carrying the 30,000 pound bunker buster bombs that can destroy Iranian nuclear facilities deep underground.
Trump has been weighing whether to use the American bombs to target the heavily fortified Iranian Fordow nuclear facility, which the Israeli military cannot reach alone.
Trump is set to attend a 'national security meeting' in the Oval Office early Saturday evening.
Two camps have emerged within Trump's party on the issue of direct military involvement in Iran, with a rift widening between them as each side becomes more firmly entrenched. While interventionists and Iran hawks urge Trump to take action, isolationists caution against engaging in another major Middle East war.
With the interventionist faction appearing in recent days to be winning him over, Trump on Thursday set a two-week deadline to decide whether or not to strike Iran directly.
The president has repeatedly said that Iran cannot have a nuclear weapon. Trump had relaunched negotiations with the country to reach a nuclear deal, but talks had stalled after several weeks as Iran refused to relinquish its uranium enrichment program.
The Pentagon did not immediately respond to a request for comment on the planes' movements.
The rotations of B-2s began this spring when the U.S. was bombing Houthi missile and drone launch sites in Yemen, which the group was using to attack commercial and military shipping in the Red Sea and launch attacks on Israel.
Since then, there have been a steady stream of the long-range bombers moving between the base on the island of Diego Garcia and their home airfields in the U.S.
The decision to move the B-2s came as Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi on Saturday warned that any direct U.S. engagement in the Iran-Israel conflict would be 'very, very dangerous.'
Meanwhile, the Israeli military said on Saturday that it had struck an Iranian nuclear research facility and killed three more Iranian military officials in targeted attacks, with a senior Israeli military official telling the army to prepare for a 'prolonged campaign.'
Tensions between the two countries boiled over last week after Israel launched a 'preemptive' strike against Iran, claiming that its aim was to destroy the country's nuclear facilities. Israel has also killed several top Iranian military officials and nuclear scientists in targeted strikes.
The U.S. has joined several European countries in evacuating its citizens from Israel as the conflict intensifies. Nearly 80 staff and family members evacuated the U.S. Embassy on Friday as U.S. Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee advised American citizens in the country on how to seek government assistance to safely depart.
Since Israel began bombing Iranian missile sites and areas linked to Tehran's nuclear program — and as Iran has retaliated — the U.S. has moved new assets into the Middle East.
By next week, the U.S. will have two aircraft carriers in the region, and has moved several destroyers capable of providing air defense and striking sites deep inland, near the Israeli coast.
New air wings of F-16, F-22 and F-35 fighter planes have also arrived at U.S. bases in the Middle East, accompanied by over a dozen aerial refueling tankers to allow for extended air operations over the region.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
The Hill
33 minutes ago
- The Hill
Former CENTCOM commander: US ‘certainly vulnerable' to attacks in Iraq, Syria
Retired Gen. Frank McKenzie, the former commander of the U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM), said on Sunday that he thinks U.S. troops in Iraq and Syria are 'certainly vulnerable' to retaliatory attacks by Iran. In an interview on CBS News's 'Face the Nation,' McKenzie said he's not surprised that Iran has not yet retaliated following U.S. strikes on its nuclear sites, noting, 'I think Iranian decision making is a little crippled right now because of the loss of senior leaders' at the hands of the Israelis. But he said he's confident the U.S. military has taken steps to prepare for any future attacks. 'To your question about where they might strike, I think we're certainly vulnerable in Iraq. I think we're certainly vulnerable in Syria,' adding, 'And I'm certain that Central Command has done all the things we need to do to harden ourselves against those potential attacks. 'The same for our other bases across the region,' McKenzie said. 'I don't know that it would be localized to the region though.' McKenzie speculated about the possibility of a strike on U.S. soil but noted efforts to achieve such a goal in the past have not been very successful. 'Iran has long harbored the desire to attack us in the United States. They typically have not been effective when they've done that. We've caught them in a couple of plots that are very public, that you're well aware of,' McKenzie said. 'So I think all those things are on the table, but it may take the Iranians a little while to work through this process, because nobody's excited about going to a meeting in Iran right now,' he said. The interview comes as U.S. leaders are warning Iran from taking retaliatory actions against the U.S. and of far-reaching consequences if Iran does not take steps to make peace.
Newsweek
36 minutes ago
- Newsweek
Trump Trolls Iran With Post About 'Regime Change'
Based on facts, either observed and verified firsthand by the reporter, or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources. Newsweek AI is in beta. Translations may contain inaccuracies—please refer to the original content. President Donald Trump asked on Sunday why there "wouldn't" be "regime change" in Iran if the country's government isn't able to "MAKE IRAN GREAT AGAIN." The U.S. president mused about the possibility on his social media website, Truth Social, writing: "It's not politically correct to use the term, 'Regime Change,' but if the current Iranian Regime is unable to MAKE IRAN GREAT AGAIN, why wouldn't there be a Regime change??? MIGA!!!" Trump's comments came after multiple top Trump administration officials said that regime change was not the U.S.'s goal in launching a series of strikes against three Iranian nuclear facilities this weekend. "This mission was not and has not been about regime change," Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth told reporters at the Pentagon on Sunday morning. Vice President JD Vance told NBC's Kristen Welker in a "Meet The Press" interview that the U.S. was not at war with Iran but rather with its nuclear program. This is a breaking news story. Updates to follow.
The Hill
36 minutes ago
- The Hill
Strait of Hormuz becomes flashpoint in US-Iran conflict
The Iranian Parliament on Sunday approved a measure to close the Strait of Hormuz after the United States bombed three nuclear sites in Iran. The strait, located between Iran and Oman, remains a critical oil choke point, and closing it could have serious implications for both the global and U.S. economy. Secretary of State Marco Rubio, in several Sunday interviews, warned against shutting down the strait, calling the move 'suicidal' for the regime. Rubio also called on China — Iran's most crucial oil customer — to encourage the country against shutting it down. 'I encourage the Chinese government in Beijing to call them about that, because they heavily depend on the Straits of Hormuz for their oil,' Rubio said on Fox News's 'Sunday Morning Futures with Maria Bartiromo.' Iran's Supreme National Security Council will ultimately decide on the move. The threat to block the narrow waterway comes in response to U.S. strikes on three nuclear sites in Natanz, Esfahan and Fordow, located inside a mountain. The Trump administration has argued the strikes, dubbed 'Operation Midnight Hammer, 'were a monumental success.' But it is unclear how much the sites were damaged or how it has set back Iran's nuclear program. The Strait of Hormuz's width and depth allow it to handle the world's largest crude oil tankers, and very few alternatives exist if it is closed, according to the U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA). Approximately 20 million barrels, or 20 percent of global consumption, flowed through the strait in 2024. More than 80 percent of the crude oil and natural gas that passed through the Strait of Hormuz in 2024 was destined for Asian markets, with China, India, Japan and South Korea being the top recipients. These countries would likely be the most affected by any closure. But the U.S. market would also feel some impact if the strait were disrupted. The U.S. has been buying less oil from the Persian Gulf — importing about 0.5 million barrels per day in 2024, according to the EIA. Still, consumers are businesses are still likely to see increased prices, given that oil is traded globally. And it could take months for U.S. oil companies to drill more to compensate for those increased prices, the New York Times reports. Oil prices in the past month increased due to the escalating Israel-Iran conflict, and these are estimated to climb further if Iran were to block the strait. Experts have said they estimate oil prices could increase from $73 per barrel up to $120 per barrel if tankers are blocked. 'If we see any throttling back of the Strait of Hormuz, we'll see a massive increase in the price of oil, and that will impact everything in the U.S.,' Ramanan Krishnamoorti, a professor of petroleum engineering at the University of Houston, told ABC News this month. Iran has previously seized or interfered with tankers during heightened political tensions, according to the New York Times. While Iran's Supreme National Security Council has yet to make a decision, some experts are skeptical that the country will actually close down the Strait of Hormuz. Experts say the move would likely lead to a near-immediate response from the U.S., and it would be self-defeating to Iran's own market.
