WASHINGTON — The U.S. military flew two B-52H bombers from Louisiana to the Middle East Thursday, part of an ongoing effort to deter Iran from any aggressive actions, according to a statement from U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM).
The bomber mission, which flew through the region but did not drop any bombs, comes as the U.S. military assesses there is a heightened chance for Iranian actions or miscalculations, according to a senior U.S. military official with knowledge of the region.
The two B-52H “Stratofortresses” flew from Barksdale Air Force Base in Louisiana on a roughly 36-hour mission that took them across Europe, through the northern Red Sea, across Saudi Arabia and into the Persian Gulf for a north to south transit. The mission included a counterclockwise loop around Qatar, all the time staying closer to the western side of the Arabian Gulf and outside Iranian airspace, according to the senior U.S. military official with knowledge of the region.
Aircraft from Saudi Arabia, Bahrain and Qatar flew with the U.S. planes during portions of the flight.
The risk of miscalculation by the Iranians is “higher than normal right now,” because of a number of factors, the senior military official said, including the U.S. pulling troops out of the region, the transition of power in the U.S., the U.S. being distracted by the COVID pandemic, and the anniversary of the U.S. killing of Iranian Gen. Qassem Soleimani.
“It’s higher than normal right now, it doesn’t mean that they’re going to do something. But, you know, we want to ensure that if they are contemplating some sort of an aggressive act, that they would they would think twice about it before they did it,” the official said.
“Our approach right now is we recognize that there are some potentialities for Iranian miscalculations with respect to how they might behave towards the United States,” the official said.
Iran and Iranian proxies are always planning attacks, the official said. “We’re certainly aware of a number of different things that they are planning here and there. Some of them are closer to execution and more realistic than others. Some are more aspirational.”
The official said the bomber mission was also planned in part because the USS Nimitz carrier strike group had been scheduled to leave the region.
“We’re trying to just ensure that if the Iranians do think they have a plan that’s executable, that they think twice before executing it, because they do see that we have a robust posture and presence still remaining in the region that could respond to any provocation should it occur.”
The official warned that proxy groups could act against U.S. forces in the region, too, including in Iraq, and that Iranian-aligned groups may act without Iran’s direction or…
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