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Yahoo
4 hours ago
- Politics
- Yahoo
Satellite images show American military planes missing from a vulnerable base as the US fortifies its Middle East presence
Dozens of US military aircraft have departed from a key base in the Middle East. The base, Al Udeid in Qatar, could be vulnerable to Iranian strikes. Tehran has threatened retaliation if the US joins Israel's bombing campaign in Iran. New satellite imagery shows dozens of US military aircraft missing from a key Middle Eastern base that could be vulnerable to Iranian strikes if American forces join the conflict with Israel. In a June 5 image, captured by the US commercial satellite imaging company Planet Labs and reviewed by Business Insider, around 40 aircraft of various types can be seen parked on the tarmac at the Al Udeid airbase in Qatar. But only three aircraft could be seen on the tarmac in another image captured on Thursday. The move's purpose is unclear, but the large-scale aircraft departure could be a possible move to protect them from Iranian retaliatory attacks if the US military joins Israel in carrying out offensive strikes against Tehran's nuclear program. Iran's supreme leader has threatened the US, warning it not to intervene in the conflict, which is entering its second week. Al Udeid, America's largest base in the Middle East and located just across the Persian Gulf, could be a prime target for Tehran, along with other nearby military installations. Al Udeid hosts a number of military assets, including the 379th Air Expeditionary Wing's airlift, aerial refueling, and intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance capabilities. Agence France-Presse first reported the dispersal of US aircraft from Al Udeid. US Central Command, which oversees military operations in the Middle East, did not provide comment. President Donald Trump has hinted in recent days that the US could join Israel's campaign. There has been speculation that such action could involve sending in B-2 Spirit stealth bombers to drop the massive bunker-buster munitions on Iran's hardened Fordow nuclear facility. The 15-ton GBU-57 Massive Ordnance Penetrator, or MOP, is one of the most powerful non-nuclear bombs and the largest bunker buster in the US arsenal. It is likely the only conventional munition capable of damaging Fordow, buried deep in the side of a mountain. It is unique to the US, as it can only be carried by the B-2 bomber. "I may do it, I may not do it," Trump told reporters earlier this week of plans to strike Iran. "Nobody knows what I'm going to do." The dispersal of aircraft at Al Udeid, a possible security move, comes amid the larger build-up of US military forces in and around the Middle East, including fighter jets, tanker planes, warships, and even a second aircraft carrier. US Navy destroyers in the Eastern Mediterranean Sea and American ground troops in the Middle East have already been involved in defending Israel from Iranian retaliatory missile attacks that began last Friday after Israeli officials announced the start of a new operation to harm Tehran's nuclear program and began conducting bombing operations. Over the past week, Israeli fighter jets have launched widespread airstrikes on targets across Iran, targeting the country's nuclear facilities, top scientists, senior commanders, missile launchers, air defenses, bases, and other high-profile military assets. Iran has retaliated by launching hundreds of missiles and drones at Israeli cities. Read the original article on Business Insider
Business Insider
7 hours ago
- Politics
- Business Insider
Satellite images show American military planes missing from a vulnerable base as the US fortifies its Middle East presence
Dozens of US military aircraft have departed from a key base in the Middle East. The base, Al Udeid in Qatar, could be vulnerable to Iranian strikes. Tehran has threatened retaliation if the US joins Israel's bombing campaign in Iran. New satellite imagery shows dozens of US military aircraft missing from a key Middle Eastern base that could be vulnerable to Iranian strikes if American forces join the conflict with Israel. In a June 5 image, captured by the US commercial satellite imaging company Planet Labs and reviewed by Business Insider, around 40 aircraft of various types can be seen parked on the tarmac at the Al Udeid airbase in Qatar. But only three aircraft could be seen on the tarmac in another image captured on Thursday. The move's purpose is unclear, but the large-scale aircraft departure could be a possible move to protect them from Iranian retaliatory attacks if the US military joins Israel in carrying out offensive strikes against Tehran's nuclear program. Iran's supreme leader has threatened the US, warning it not to intervene in the conflict, which is entering its second week. Al Udeid, America's largest base in the Middle East and located just across the Persian Gulf, could be a prime target for Tehran, along with other nearby military installations. Al Udeid hosts a number of military assets, including the 379th Air Expeditionary Wing's airlift, aerial refueling, and intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance capabilities. Agence France-Presse first reported the dispersal of US aircraft from Al Udeid. US Central Command, which oversees military operations in the Middle East, did not provide comment. President Donald Trump has hinted in recent days that the US could join Israel's campaign. There has been speculation that such action could involve sending in B-2 Spirit stealth bombers to drop the massive bunker-buster munitions on Iran's hardened Fordow nuclear facility. The 15-ton GBU-57 Massive Ordnance Penetrator, or MOP, is one of the most powerful non-nuclear bombs and the largest bunker buster in the US arsenal. It is likely the only conventional munition capable of damaging Fordow, buried deep in the side of a mountain. It is unique to the US, as it can only be carried by the B-2 bomber. "I may do it, I may not do it," Trump told reporters earlier this week of plans to strike Iran. "Nobody knows what I'm going to do." The dispersal of aircraft at Al Udeid, a possible security move, comes amid the larger build-up of US military forces in and around the Middle East, including fighter jets, tanker planes, warships, and even a second aircraft carrier. US Navy destroyers in the Eastern Mediterranean Sea and American ground troops in the Middle East have already been involved in defending Israel from Iranian retaliatory missile attacks that began last Friday after Israeli officials announced the start of a new operation to harm Tehran's nuclear program and began conducting bombing operations. Over the past week, Israeli fighter jets have launched widespread airstrikes on targets across Iran, targeting the country's nuclear facilities, top scientists, senior commanders, missile launchers, air defenses, bases, and other high-profile military assets. Iran has retaliated by launching hundreds of missiles and drones at Israeli cities.
Bloomberg
10 hours ago
- Politics
- Bloomberg
Satellite Images Reveal Trump's Dilemma Over Iran Nuclear Complex
As the world waits to see if the US joins Israel in its war with Iran, the latest evidence from the ground suggests they would need to significantly escalate attacks if they want to eradicate the Islamic Republic's nuclear capabilities. Satellite images show atomic installations were only grazed after four days of bombardment. Damage to Iran's central enrichment facility in Natanz, located 300 kilometers (186 miles) south of Tehran, is primarily limited to electricity switch yards and transformers, based on pictures from June 17. While those installations are critical, experts say they can be repaired within months. 'They did damage but left a lot intact,' said Robert Kelley, a former inspector at the International Atomic Energy Agency, or IAEA, who previously ran one of the US-government's premier satellite imagery labs. The images provided by US-based Planet Labs PBC and analyzed by Kelley underscore the wide margin of error confronting US military planners who are deciding whether to enter the conflict. Donald Trump's spokeswoman said the president will decide within two weeks whether to strike Iran, while Israel continued to hit more Iranian nuclear sites. Iran Runs a Network of Interconnected Nuclear Facilities These are the main steps involved in the nuclear fuel cycle... Far from being just static points on a map, Iran's ambitions to make the fuel needed for nuclear power plants and weapons are embedded in a heavily fortified infrastructure nationwide. Thousands of scientists and engineers work at dozens of sites. Moreover, the country's near bomb-grade uranium stockpiles — which can be neatly tucked into as few as 16 small canisters — are a moving target. Uranium shifts back, forth and throughout its nuclear-fuel complex, challenging the IAEA's ability to account for material that could be diverted for weapons. Uranium Moves to Multiple Sites Around Iran, and its Current Unknown Location Has Experts on Edge The United Nations nuclear watchdog said it had lost track of the location of Iran's highly-enriched uranium stockpile this week because Israel's ongoing military assaults are preventing its inspectors from doing their work. The IAEA's monitors remain in Tehran and conducted almost 500 nuclear inspections last year. But they have been sidelined since Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu started the bombing campaign on June 13. 'I'm not so sure,' IAEA Director General Rafael Mariano Grossi told Bloomberg Television this week, when asked about the uranium. 'In a time of war, all nuclear sites are closed. No inspections, no normal activity can take place.' The IAEA's central mission is to account for gram-levels of uranium around the world and to ensure it isn't used for nuclear weapons. The Vienna-based agency has already had to reassess key findings based on satellite images. Natanz Is Iran's Primary Uranium Enrichment Site Natanz's underground enrichment halls are protected by 40 meters (131 feet) of earth, reinforced steel and concrete. After first reporting Israel dealt no damage to them, the IAEA changed course three days later, saying new satellite imagery suggested 'direct impacts.' Centrifuges — machines spinning at supersonic speeds to separate the isotopes needed for nuclear fuel — need a constant feed of electricity to prevent them from spinning out of control. An alleged 2021 Israeli act of sabotage at the site caused damage to some centrifuges, which the Iranians were able to repair within months. 'Any competent designer will have backup power, either batteries or generators,' said Kelley, a veteran of the US Department of Energy's nuclear weapons complex. There's little evidence to question the competence of Iranian engineers, and the primary electrical damage at Natanz could be fixed within months, according to Kelley. Isfahan Complex Is the Hub of Nationwide Program At the center of Iran's nuclear program is Isfahan's Nuclear Technology and Research Center. Located 450 kilometers south of Tehran, the site has seven facilities frequently visited by IAEA inspectors. It's the key hub for critical chemical processes turning uranium ore into feedstock that can be enriched and then turned into metallic fuel. The IAEA reported late on Thursday that there was damage to Isfahan's central chemical laboratory, a uranium conversion plant, a reactor fuel manufacturing plant and the enriched uranium metal processing facility. Isfahan was also the last place Iran's 409-kilogram stockpile of highly-enriched uranium — equivalent of 10 bombs-worth of material that could quickly be enriched to weapons grade — was seen by IAEA inspectors after visits stopped last week. Iran told diplomats on May 22 that it was planning 'special measures' to protect its uranium inventory in the event of an Israeli attack, but the IAEA still didn't know what those measures are or whether the material is still there. 'We haven't been informed of anything in detail,' Grossi said on June 18. 'Iran is aware this stockpile needs to be under constant IAEA supervision.' While the IAEA reported on June 15 that Israel dealt critical damage to facilities at Isfahan, Kelley said satellite images taken the day after showed only 'very little' impact from the Israel strikes. Bomb scars at the center of the site, next to a tiled square planted with trees, suggest the air strikes targeted places where key personnel were likely to congregate, Kelley said. He declined to speculate about the precise location of Iran's uranium stockpile. The nuclear site that has captured the most attention of military planners is in Fordow, built into the side of a mountain at a depth approaching at least 100 meters. Destroying the advanced-enrichment facility would need aerial bombardment using the most-powerful conventional explosives. Israel lacks the heavy bombs and B-2 stealth jets to penetrate the site, located near the holy city of Qom. Smaller munitions may be able to take out Fordow's power and collapse access tunnels, but experts suggest permanent damage would likely require Massive Ordance Penetrators, known as GBU-57 bombs. That would mean directly introducing American forces into the conflict. The problem for the US and Israel is that Fordow was purposely built to withstand attacks, said Kelley. 'Iran's nuclear program is the brainchild of its war with Iraq during the 1980s,' he said. 'Even if Iran's nuclear weapons program ended in 2003,' said Kelley, reiterating the conclusions of the IAEA and US intelligence, 'countries have continued to push Iran around and they've continued reacting.'
India Today
a day ago
- Business
- India Today
Iran speeds up oil exports amid Israel conflict: Report
Iran is moving quickly to ship its oil out of the country, according to new satellite images. The rush comes at a time when tensions are esclating between Iran and Israel as both countries traded missile and drone strikes on Friday. According to Bloomberg, oil is currently flowing out of Iran's ports in large amounts, signalling Iran wants to make sure it earns as much money as possible from oil sales before potential big-scale strikes may block its exports. Even with oil shipments rising, Iran's biggest export site -- Kharg Island -- has storage tanks that are now of the oil tanks at Kharg Island were only partially filled, according to satellite images taken by Planet Labs on June 11. Because of their floating roofs, these tanks' roofs rise and block sunlight when they are full. The tanks' shadows at the time indicated that they weren't yet IMAGES CONFIRM TANKS ARE FULL AFTER ATTACKS BEGIN But on June 18, shortly after the Israeli attacks began, another set of satellite images showed a major change. The tanks now had no visible shadows on their roofs, which meant they were full to the top. The shadows around the tanks were still visible, proving that sunlight wasn't the issue. The photos were taken around the same time of day, under similar conditions, Bloomberg means Iran had presumably prepared for disruptions by filling its oil storage tanks. The tanks remain full despite high exports, indicating that Kharg is receiving even more oil. Iran seems to be storing more oil in case it is unable to ship later, while simultaneously exporting as quickly as to a 2024 S&P Global Commodity Insights report cited by Bloomberg, Kharg Island can store about 28 million barrels of crude oil. Two large tanks, each holding 1 million barrels, were repaired recently. It's unclear if these were counted in the previous storage STRATEGY CHANGES TO AVOID RISKIran's oil exports increased significantly after Israel launched missile strikes against the country on June 13. According to data from Iran exported an average of 2.33 million barrels of oil per day in the five days after the attacks, a 44% increase from earlier in the may explain why Iran's oil tankers have started changing their usual behaviour. In the days before the attacks, satellite images from June 11 showed several large tankers -- each able to carry around 2 million barrels -- waiting near Kharg Island. This was seen as a normal number by experts, based on earlier a new image from June 17 -- four days after missiles struck Iran -- tells a different story. The tankers had all disappeared from the nearby waters. Bloomberg points out that this shows how Iran is now keeping ships farther away from the island until the last moment. Tankers arrive quickly, loading oil fast, and then leaving immediately, which reduces their chances of being hit during an method isn't new to Iran. In a similar response back in October, when Israel also launched attacks. At that time, Iran used the same strategy: spreading tankers out to safer areas and keeping oil exports InMust Watch
The National
a day ago
- Business
- The National
US bombers line up at Diego Garcia base as Iran strike looms
The airbase that could be used to launch bunker-busting strikes on Iran has seen an influx of heavy American bombers and fighters. Satellite images taken three days ago show the presence of four B-52s that can technically drop the 13,600kg GBU-57 bomb needed to penetrate Iran's underground nuclear network. They were spotted by commercial satellite imagery company Planet Labs, and traces how the balance of aircraft at the base has changed as the situation in the Middle East deteriorated. Six F-15 multirole warplanes have also arrived in recent days and would be used to protect the airbase from Iran drone or cruise missile attack. Six KC-135 tankers are also there, giving America the option to refuel aircraft on the approach to Iran if required. There is also the prospect that with aircraft movement into Diego Garcia remaining fluid, B-2 Spirit stealth bombers could also land there, having been spotted in recent months. Diego Garcia, the largest of the Chagos Islands, has been used as the site of a joint UK-US military base since the 1970s due to its strategically important position in the Indian Ocean. The UK recently signed a deal to return the Chagos Islands to Mauritius, with an agreement to lease Diego Garcia for £101 million each year for the next 99 years. Critics of the deal said the UK risks losing an important strategic presence in the Indian Ocean. Diego Garcia would likely be used as a base for a 'stand-off' attack on Iran, The National has been told. 'While they can drop the GBU-57, the fact they have to fly straight and level means that the B-52 would be sitting ducks if used over Iran,' said military aviation expert Tim Ripley. 'But they carry 20 cruise missiles, which they can launch from a distance.' The total value of the jets currently present is approaching $1.5 billion which contrasts with the $12 billion cost of the six B-2s that were at the base two months ago and appear to have been moved back to the US. It is understood that they were there to be used against the Houthis in Yemen as part of America's bombing campaign before a ceasefire was agreed. They are the most expensive aircraft ever built and the only ones certified to drop GBU-57 bombs. Their departure makes it more likely that if US President Donald Trump decides to support Israel by attacking Iran's Fordow nuclear facility hidden in a mountain, the strike will be launched from America. The B-2s would fly from their Whiteman air force base in Missouri direct to the site near Qom − a distance of 11,200km distance. While that is at the very limit of their range, they will be able to receive air-to-air refuelling from tankers stationed in the Middle East and Europe. The Diego Garcia deployment is part of a widespread movement of US warplanes into the region as the possibility of a US attack on Iran increases. A fleet of more than 30 air-to-air refuelling tankers have crossed the Atlantic and are now stationed at airbases across Europe and the Middle East. They have been joined by squadrons of F-22 and F-35 stealth fighters that will be on hand for a major air attack alongside the jets from what will soon be two US aircraft carriers in the region, once the USS Nimitz arrives from the Pacific. But as the Diego Garcia base is a British overseas territory, permission would be required from London before any raid on Iran is undertaken. The UK is likely to face domestic opposition to joining the US in the conflict. Prime Minister Keir Starmer held an emergency Cobra meeting upon his return to the UK from the G7 summit to discuss the UK's response to the crisis. Attorney General Lord Richard Hermer reportedly raised concerns about the legality of the UK's involvement, advising that the UK should limit this to 'defensive' support. However, Sir John Sawers, former head of MI6, on Thursday told the Chatham House think tank's London Conference that he did not see obstacles to a UK green light for use of the archipelago for an Iran mission. 'If American bombers do strike they will almost certainly do so from Diego Garcia,' he said. 'We've just negotiated a long-term lease so there could be an American base on Diego Garcia. I don't see Keir Starmer saying, 'oh, but you can't use it. I'm afraid'. I don't see that. 'It's very straightforward. They've got an American base there and whole purpose of Diego Garcia is so the Americans can use it when they need to use it.' There are some concerns that further escalation with Iran would have the undesired effect of re-enforcing its nuclear ambitions. Former National Security Adviser Lord Peter Ricketts said the UK 'should not' support potential US strikes on Iran. 'The only way we're going to control Iran's nuclear ambitions in the long term is by having a deal with them,' he said. 'I think just coming back and bombing them every few years is not going to make the world safer. In fact, it's going to reinforce their determination to keep working on a nuclear weapon when this round of fighting is over,' he said.
