The US has deployed one of its heaviest bombers, the B-1, for the first time since a new wave of airstrikes on Iran began twelve days ago. This was confirmed by American officials to the news website Axios. The use of the B-1 may suggest that President Donald Trump plans to escalate daily bombings.
According to Axios, the targets of Tuesday’s airstrike included facilities of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), which is responsible for Iran’s blockade of the Strait of Hormuz. The B-1 took off from an airbase in the United Kingdom to conduct a long-range mission. The US Central Command (CENTCOM), which oversees American operations in the Middle East, did not report the use of the B-1 in its daily airstrike report on Tuesday.
Details of the operation and capabilities of the B-1
American bombings of Iran are primarily conducted by F-18 aircraft from the aircraft carrier USS Abraham Lincoln, as well as F-35 and F-16 fighters from regional airbases, drones, and destroyers armed with Tomahawk cruise missiles. The B-1, developed to replace the B-52, has been in service since the 1980s and can carry approximately 37,000 kilograms of bombs. It is capable of dropping 84 heavy bombs in a single mission.
The newspaper The Wall Street Journal reported on Wednesday that the Pentagon has been transferring additional aircraft to Europe and the Middle East for several days to provide Trump with more military options should he choose to escalate the conflict. Additional US special forces units have also been deployed to the region, with bombers like the B-1 on standby.
One of the main targets for the US may be Pickaxe — a facility that Iran constructed approximately 100 meters underground. The US and Israel suspect that Iran may use the Pickaxe complex to revive its nuclear program, which was significantly damaged last year by American-Israeli bombings. Trump has repeatedly stated that Pickaxe will be attacked. “We will soon attack this area, and very intensely,” he reiterated on Tuesday.
Source: de Volkskrant
