CNN
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The Pentagon sent at least six B-2 bombers (30% of the US Air Force’s stealth bomber fleet) to Diego Garcia on the Indian Ocean Island.
The development comes as US jets continue to attack the Hooty rebels supported by Yemen’s Tehran, while US President Donald Trump and his defense chief Pete Hegses warn of further action against Iran and its proxy.
Images taken Tuesday by private satellite imaging company Planet Labs show six US bombers in the island’s parking lot and shelter that could hide others. Tankers and cargo aircraft are also found at an air force base on the island, a joint US UK base 3,900 kilometers (2,400 miles) from Iran’s southern coast.
Images from the Planet Lab on Sunday show four B-2s and six support aircraft from the Diego Garcia Mack.
Without directly referring to the B-2, Pentagon spokesman Sean Parnell confirmed that the US military is sending additional aircraft and “other aviation assets” to the region to improve America’s defensive stance in the region.
“The US and its partners remain committed to local security and are ready to accommodate state or non-state actors looking to widen or escalate local conflict,” Parnell said.
CNN military analyst Cedric Layton said the highly refined $2 billion fighter arrangement was a signal for the US enemy.
“The deployment of these B-2s is clearly designed to send messages (probably a few) to Iran,” said a former US Air Force colonel.
“One of them could be a warning to stop supporting Yemen’s Houtsis. Another message the Trump administration may be sending to Iran is that it wants a new nuclear deal (instead of the “bad” deal that led to Trump withdrawing the US in his first term).
Trump began to step up military action against the Hoosis in mid-March. It was an airstrike that killed at least 53 people and injured almost 100 people in Yemen, according to the Houthi-run Ministry of Health.
The strike continues in attacks that say extremists are facing artillery bombardment by Israel, a key US ally, as Houthis threatens US warships in the region.
In a disclosure that sparked a major controversy with the Trump administration, Hegseth shared sensitive information last month about military strikes against the Hooty militants in an unsecured group chat with top national security officials, a chain that was accidentally added.
Trump threatened that more could come Tuesday in a post on his social media platform Truth Social.
“Stop filming on our ship, and we’ll stop filming yours. Otherwise we’re just starting out and real pain hasn’t come yet, both for Iranian Houtis and their sponsors,” Trump posted.
Trump has also urged Iran to make a deal over its nuclear capabilities, saying he will either reach an agreement with Tehran on March 19 or give him two months to face consequences.
“There are two ways you can handle Iran. Military or you do the trade. I prefer to do the trade because I’m not trying to hurt Iran,” Trump told Fox News last month.
However, this week Iran refused to negotiate in person.
“If Iran or its proxy threatens the interests of the US personnel and local community, the US will take decisive action to protect our people,” Parnell said.
Military aviation analyst Peter Leighton told CNN that the deployment of six bombers into Diego Garcia likely focuses beyond potential Houthi targets.
“Six is a serious number. For Houthi, two or three are three, but six B-2s are a big effort,” says Layton.
CNN military analyst Leighton said the B-2 could carry large weapon intruders.
“Such targets could include nuclear and weapons storage facilities in Iran,” said a former US Air Force officer.
Aviation analyst Layton noted that the six B-2s likely represent the entire deployable fleet of aircraft.
“I think there’s a nuclear warning or two in the house for training and a little more standing there. Please take a break for maintenance,” he said, a former Royal Air Force pilot and currently visiting a fellow at the Griffith Institute of Asia.
Pentagon spokesman Parnell said USS Harry S. Truman, an aircraft carrier that has been struggling with the Hooty rebels in Yemen, will remain in the area until this month.
CNN also previously reported that USS Carl Vinson’s aircraft carrier will move to the Middle East after completing practice in the Asia-Pacific region.
Hegseth “ordered the deployment of additional squadrons and other aviation assets that further enhance defensive air support capabilities,” Parnell said. It is unknown which squadron or property will move to this area.
Parnell added that the Nimitz Strike Group is deploying in the Western Pacific “to maintain combat advantage in the Indo-Pacific.”
Leighton said the presence of the B-2 at Diego Garcia will attract attention throughout Asia.
“The deployment of six B-2s to Diego Garcia is intended to block action by other forces such as China and Russia, but they certainly take note of this development as well. Of course, we cannot forget that Iran is an ally of both of these countries,” he said.