The US Department of Defense announced on Tuesday that it has sent additional fighter jets to the Middle East to bolster the Pentagon’s naval forces in the region, amidst a bombing campaign in Yemen and heightened tensions with Iran.
According to a Pentagon statement, no specific aircraft were mentioned, but US officials, speaking on condition of anonymity, said at least four B-2 bombers have been relocated to a US-British military base on the island of Diego Garcia in the Indian Ocean. Experts say this is close enough to target Yemen or Iran.
“The United States and its partners remain committed to regional security in the CENTCOM area and are prepared to respond to any state or non-state actor that attempts to escalate or expand the conflict in the region” Pentagon spokesperson Sean Parnell said in the statement.
Defense Minister Pete Hegseth also emphasized that the United States would take decisive measures to defend its people, should Iran or its proxies threaten American personnel and interests in the region.
CENTCOM refers to the US Central Command, which covers a region that includes North Africa, the Middle East and parts of Central and South Asia.
The B-2 bombers are capable of carrying nuclear weapons and with only 20 of these aircraft in the US Air Force, they are typically used sparingly. In October 2024, the Biden administration deployed the bombers in its own campaign against the Huthi in Yemen.
Following Iran’s rejection of direct talks with the US, US President Donald Trump responded with threats on Sunday. “We’ll see if we can get something” Trump said on a flight from Florida to Washington, before a journalist, adding that otherwise it would be “a bad situation.”
Iran then complained to the UN Security Council about the “reckless and aggressive” statements from US President Donald Trump, calling them a “flagrant violation of international law.”
Iran would have no other choice but to acquire atomic weapons if attacked, said Ali Laridschani, a advisor to Ayatollah Chamenei, in a state television broadcast on Monday evening, reiterating the country’s willingness to escalate further.