Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth has taken steps to bolster American military strength in the Middle East by sending additional aircraft to support naval operations, the Pentagon announced on Tuesday.
While the official announcement did not detail which aircraft were deployed, several U.S. officials speaking anonymously to Reuters revealed that four B-2 stealth bombers had been flown to the joint U.S.-UK base on Diego Garcia, an island in the Indian Ocean positioned within operational range of both Iran and Yemen.
In addition, Hegseth has directed the Carl Vinson carrier strike group to head toward the Middle East. According to a Bloomberg report, the strike group will make its way to the region after it wraps up training drills in the Indo-Pacific.
Pentagon spokesperson Sean Parnell also confirmed that the current deployment of the Harry S. Truman carrier strike group will be extended to maintain a strong naval presence.
Parnell emphasized that both strike groups will “continue promoting regional stability, deter aggression, and protect the free flow of commerce in the region.”
These movements come as the United States ramps up its offensive against Houthi forces in Yemen, an operation it formally began last month in response to ongoing threats from the Iran-aligned militants.
President Donald Trump recently declared that the Houthis would be “completely annihilated” and warned that Tehran’s backing would not save them from defeat.
He later remarked that the Houthis are now seeking peace due to the impact of U.S. military action, though he made clear that “those strikes will continue for a very long time.”
This Pentagon update also follows rising friction with Iran. Just days ago, Trump issued a stark warning, stating, “if they don’t make a deal, there will be bombing — and it will be bombing the likes of which they have never seen before.”
In reply, Iran’s Tehran Times, a government-run publication, posted on X that Iranian missiles are “loaded onto launchers in all underground missile cities and are ready for launch.”
Trump followed up with another warning, suggesting he might impose secondary tariffs on Iran if the country refuses to strike a nuclear agreement.
On Monday, Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei responded with a direct threat of his own, cautioning that any U.S. assault on Iran would prompt a “strong blow.”
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