An arsenal of US stealth bombers is expected to soon reach UK military bases as President Trump warned Iran that “the big one” could be imminent.
American B-2 stealth bombers were slated to land at air bases at Diego Garcia in the Chagos Islands and RAF Fairford in Gloucestershire after the British government initially rejected the Trump administration’s request to carry out strikes from the bases, according to reports.
But Prime Minister Keir Starmer later reversed course, allowing the US fleet to use UK runways within “a matter of days,” the Telegraph reported Wednesday.
He granted permission to use the sites for limited defensive purposes after Iran started shooting indiscriminately at allies in the Middle East, the outlet reported Friday.
Trump threatened Iran on Monday that “the big one is coming” as he vowed to ramp up strikes on the Islamic Republic after war broke out last weekend.
“We haven’t even started hitting them hard,” Trump said. “The big wave hasn’t even happened. The big one is coming soon.”
Secretary of War Pete Hegseth also said Thursday that firepower over Tehran was “about to surge dramatically” with the help of the UK bases, the Telegraph reported.
“When we say more to come, it’s more fighter squadrons, it’s more capabilities, it’s more defensive capabilities,” he said. “And it’s more bomber pulses more frequently.”
Meanwhile, Israeli military chief Lt. Gen. Eyal Zamir said in a televised statement Friday that the joint US-Israeli bombing campaign has “additional surprises ahead which I do not intend to disclose.”
But he noted the next phase in the war that reached its 7th day would “further dismantle the regime and its military capabilities”.
The B-2 stealth bombers, which targeted Iranian ballistic missile sites at the start of the conflict, cost about $2 billion each and are known as the world’s priciest aircraft, Fox News reported.