A pair of B-52 bombers were flown over the Mideast on Sunday, the latest such flight in the region aimed at alerting Iran amid tensions between Washington and Tehran.
The U.S. Military Command said the two B-52s flew over the region along with military flights from countries including Israel, Saudi Arabia and Qatar. It marked the fourth – such bombing into the Mideast this year and the second under President Joe Biden.
Israeli F-15 fighters join two American B-52 heavy bombers
(Video: IDF Speaker Unit)
Flight tracking data showed that the two B-52s were flown out of Minot Air Base in North Dakota, something Central Command did not mention in its statement on the flights.
The military did not directly refer to Iran in its statement, saying the flight was going to “prevent attacks and reassure partners and allies of U.S. military commitment. in terms of security in the area. “
However, flights like this had become commonplace in the last months of the administration of former President Donald Trump. Trump’s 2018 decision to unilaterally withdraw from Iran’s nuclear deal with world powers began a series of escalating events in the region.
Biden has expressed a desire to return to the treaty if Iran respects the limits of the treaty on its nuclear program. However, tensions remain high after militias in Iraq – perhaps with Iranian support – continued to focus on American interests.
Biden last month flew a flight just over the border into Syria in retaliation, joining all American presidents from Ronald Reagan onwards who have ordered an explosion of countries in the Middle East.