The US is deploying a B-52 bomber force alongside an aircraft carrier strike group to the Middle East amid heightened tensions with Iran. Officials have released details of the military forces heading to the region overseen by the Pentagon's US Central Command (CENTCOM). The US Air Force is dispatching four long-range B-52 bombers, capable of carrying 30,000 kilograms of bombs and flying at heights of 15,000 metres. They will operate from Qatar’s Al Udeid Air base, a regular regional hub for the US Air Force, reports CBS News. The US is deploying a force of four B-52 bombers to the Middle East. (AP AAP) Defence officials have refused to comment about when the warplanes will arrive in the Middle East. CENTCOM spokesman Captain Bill Urban said in a statement: "We are not going to provide a specific timeline for that deployment". The aircraft carrier USS Abraham Lincoln, which was slated for deployment to the Persian Gulf region, is cancelling other port visits to arrive ahead of schedule. It is being accompanied by other warships: a guided-missile cruiser and four destroyers. Earlier this week National Security Adviser John Bolton said they were being sent "in response to a number of troubling and escalatory indications and warnings" by Iran. The announcement came as new violence flares between Israel and the Palestinians in Gaza. The group Islamic Jihad, which has a foothold in Gaza, is seen as an Iranian proxy. The aircraft carrier USS Abraham Lincoln is heading a naval force to the Persian Gulf. (AAP) Meanwhile, Iran will announce today it is partially withdrawing from the nuclear deal it struck with world powers, its state-run news agency reported. The expected decision comes a year to the day that President Donald Trump pulled America from the accord. The terms of the withdrawal remain unclear, though the IRNA news agency said President Hassan Rouhani will explain Iran’s decision in letters to leaders of Britain, France and Germany that will be handed to ambassadors in Tehran. Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammed Javad Zarif separately will write to the European Union, the agency said. Details of the letters will not be publicly disclosed, it said. The letters will come as officials in the Islamic Republic previously warned that Iran might increase its uranium enrichment, potentially pulling away from a deal it has sought to salvage for months. The United Nations’ nuclear watchdog says Iran has continued to comply with the terms of the 2015 nuclear deal, which saw it limit its enrichment of uranium in exchange for the lifting of economic sanctions. But American sanctions have wreaked havoc on Iran’s already-struggling economy, while promised help from European partners in the deal haven’t alleviated the pain.<doc-sep>The Pentagon has dispatched four B-52 heavy bombers to the Middle East, in response to an alleged Iranian threat against U.S. forces in the region. The purpose of the deployment, whether to deter an attack or pre-empt one, is unknown. Although six decades old, the B-52’s heavy weapons load and long legs ensure that when a crisis erupts it is Air Force’s go-to heavy bomber. According to CBS News, four B-52H Stratofortress bombers took off from Barksdale Air Force Base in Louisiana and are expected to land at Al Udeid air base in Qatar later today. Also being sent to the Middle East is a carrier strike group centered around the aircraft carrier USS Abraham Lincoln, plus a guided missile cruiser and four guided missile destroyers. The buildup of forces in the area, according to U.S. Central Command, reported by Military Times , is in response to “recent and clear” indications that Iranian or proxy forces were making preparations to “possibly attack American troops in the region.” CENTCOM reported that indications pointed to “threats on land and in the maritime” against U.S. forces. B-52 Stratofortress aircraft flying over Shreveport, Louisiana, July 4, 2018 Smith Collection/Gado Getty Images The B-52s sent to the Middle East are the last of a force of over 700 Stratofortresses built during the Cold War. The Air Force ordered 104 -H model bombers during the early 1960s, and according to the USAF 76 were still service as of 2015. More than any other airplane, the B-52 combines the ability to carry a wide variety of munitions with an intercontinental range. Coupled with midair refueling, there are few targets—if any—targets on the planet that are outside the bomber’s reach. Although the slab-sided B-52 is far from stealthy, against opponents without sophisticated air defenses the lack of stealth is not really a problem. The B-52h can carry up to 70,000 pounds in ordnance, though the number depends on what kind of weapons are carried. It can carry up to thirty 1,000 pound bombs, fifty-one 500 pound bombs, and eighteen 2,000 pound bombs. Alternately, it can carry up to 12 satellite guided Joint Directed Attack Munitions (JDAMs) in the 500 to 2,000 pound range. The B-52 can also carry Paveway laser-guided “smart” bombs. Fitted with the Sniper Advanced Targeting Pod, the aging bomber can do its own precision targeting. This content is imported from YouTube. You may be able to find the same content in another format, or you may be able to find more information, at their web site. Alternately, the B-52H can act as a cruise missile carrier. A B-52 equipped with the new Conventional Rotary Launcher can carry up to twenty JASSM cruise missiles at a time, with twelve mounted on the bomber’s wings and another eight stored internally on the CRL. The AGM-158 JASSM, or Joint Air-to-Surface Standoff Missile, has a range of 250 miles and a 1,000 pound high explosive warhead designed to attack hardened and underground facilities. JASSM first saw combat in 2018 during a strike on Syria’s chemical weapon facilities. Despite being well past middle age, the B-52H is one of the most versatile combat aircraft around. This content is created and maintained by a third party, and imported onto this page to help users provide their email addresses. You may be able to find more information about this and similar content at piano.io<doc-sep>Four B-52 bombers are being deployed to the Middle East in response to what administration officials said earlier this week are threats of a possible attack by Iran or allied fighters on American troops in the region. Two of the bombers are expected to leave Tuesday from Barksdale Air Force Base in Louisiana, arriving at Al Udeid Air Base in Qatar on Wednesday, CBS News national security correspondent David Martin reports. White House national security adviser John Bolton said on Sunday that the U.S. was deploying a bomber task force and the USS Abraham Lincoln Carrier Strike Group to the U.S. Central Command region, an area that includes the Middle East. Bolton said the movement was in response to "a number of troubling and escalatory indications and warnings." He didn't provide details, but said the U.S. wants to send a "clear and unmistakable" message to Iran that "unrelenting force" would meet any attack on U.S. interests or those of its allies. "The United States is not seeking war with the Iranian regime, but we are fully prepared to respond to any attack, whether by proxy, the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, or regular Iranian forces," he said. A Defense Department official told CBS News' Martin earlier this week the U.S. has detected "a number of preparations for possible attack" on U.S. forces at sea and on land. "There is more than one avenue of attack or possible attack that we're tracking," the official said. The official said the decision to order the deployment was made on Sunday. The USS Abraham Lincoln has filed with Egypt for permission to go through the Suez Canal and is expected to transit in the next 48-72 hours, Martin reports. The aircraft carrier was scheduled to go to the Gulf anyway but is now going one to two weeks early. CENTCOM is expected to request additional forces, including Patriot anti-missile batteries.<doc-sep>The B-52H Stratofortress bombers deployed to the Middle East to deter Iran conducted their first mission Sunday, U.S. Air Forces Central Command said Monday. “This was the first mission of the Bomber Task Force deployed to U.S. Central Command area of responsibility in order to defend American forces and interests in the region,” Air Forces Central Command (AFCENT) said in a brief statement alongside photos of the bombers taking off. AFCENT also released images Monday of F-15Cs and F-35As taking part in “deterrence” flights in the region Sunday. The photos showed the F-15s, F-35s and B-52s being refueled by a KC-135 in the air over an undisclosed location in the region. ADVERTISEMENT Neither release elaborated on the flights. In response to a request for more information, a spokeswoman said the flights include going over the Persian Gulf, also known as the Arabian Gulf. “The B52's were deployed to U.S. Central Command to defend U.S. Forces and deter any aggression,” AFCENT spokeswoman Maj. Holly Brauer said in an email. “They have begun flying deterrence missions in the region, including over the Arabian Gulf.” The B-52s were deployed to Al Udeid Air Base in Qatar last week as part of the U.S. response to what the Trump administration described as “troubling and escalatory indications and warnings” for Iran. F-15s and F-35s were already in the region conducting missions in Iraq, Syria and Afghanistan. As part of the Iran response, the Trump administration also sent the USS Abraham Lincoln carrier strike group to the region. The deployment was previously scheduled, but was sped up. The Pentagon also announced Friday it was sending a Patriot missile battery and the USS Arlington amphibious transport dock to the region. “It's important that Iran understand that an attack on Americans or its interests will be met with an appropriate response,” acting Defense Secretary Patrick Shanahan Patrick Michael ShanahanSenators introducing bill to penalize Pentagon for failed audits Overnight Defense: National Guard boosts DC presence ahead of inauguration | Lawmakers demand probes into troops' role in Capitol riot | Financial disclosures released for Biden Pentagon nominee Biden Pentagon pick could make up to .7M from leaving Raytheon MORE told reporters Friday. Tensions with Iran have skyrocketed in recent weeks as the Trump administration has ratcheted up sanctions pressure on Tehran. Iran also announced it would stop complying with parts of the nuclear deal one year after Trump withdrew from it. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo Mike PompeoThe Memo: Media face hard questions on Trump, Wuhan lab Trump on Wuhan lab: Now everyone agrees 'I was right' With denuclearization stalled, Biden should focus on human rights reform in North Korea MORE on Monday scrapped a planned stop in Moscow to discuss Iran with European allies in Brussels. Also Monday, four oil tankers off the coast of the United Arab Emirates were reported damaged in what the country described as a "sabotage attack.” Two of the tankers were Saudi, one was Emirati and one was Norwegian. Officials have not blamed Iran for the attack. But it came after the United States warned ships Iran or “its proxies” could target maritime traffic in the region.<doc-sep>
U.S. Central Command confirmed Tuesday that bombers headed to the Middle East will be B-52s as it sought to clarify plans to deploy a carrier strike group and a bomber task force to the region days after national security advisor John Bolton John BoltonRepublicans request documents on Kerry's security clearance process Trump pushes back on Bolton poll Hillicon Valley: Facebook Oversight board to rule on Trump ban in 'coming weeks' | Russia blocks Biden Cabinet officials in retaliation for sanctions MORE announced the move. “We continue to closely monitor the activities of the regime in Iran, their military, the [Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps], and their proxies, and we are well postured to defend U.S. forces and interests,” Central Command (Centcom) spokesman Capt. Bill Urban said in a statement released by the Pentagon. “The deployment of the Abraham Lincoln Carrier Strike Group and a bomber task force are considered prudent steps to protect U.S. forces and interests in the region and to deter any aggression.” ADVERTISEMENT On Sunday night, Bolton said the USS Abraham Lincoln strike group and a bomber task force are deploying to the Centcom region “to send a clear and unmistakable message to the Iranian regime that any attack on United States interests or on those of our allies will be met with unrelenting force” in response to unspecified “troubling and escalatory indications and warnings” from Iran. U.S. carrier groups and bombers often rotate in and out of the region, and the Lincoln’s deployment around the world was first announced by the Navy in early April. B-52s, for example, have switched off deployments to the region with B-1s, with the B-52s last there in 2018. Those factors have led to questions about whether the Trump administration was using a routine deployment to bolster tough-on-Iran messaging. In Tuesday’s statement, presented as a Q&A, Urban confirmed the Lincoln’s deployment was previously “expected to include a significant amount of time” in Central Command. But, Urban added, the deployment to the area is now “expected ahead of its original schedule and is in response to credible threats in the CENTCOM region.” In line with the expedited arrival in the Middle East, the Lincoln’s previously planned port visit Split, Croatia has been canceled, U.S. European Command spokesman Lt. Cmdr. Joe Hontz said in a statement released with Urban’s. Urban would not elaborate on what made the threats credible, but said Centcom requested more forces after “recent and clear indications that Iranian and Iranian proxy forces were making preparations to possibly attack U.S. forces in the region.” The threats were both maritime and on land, he said. “We are not going to be able to provide detailed information on specific threats at this time,” he said. Urban would not say where in the Middle East the Lincoln will go to, only that the commander of U.S. Naval Forces Central Command will choose a position that “will best be able to protect U.S. forces and interests in the region and to deter any aggression.” Urban would also not provide a specific timeline for the ship’s transit to the region. As for the bomber, Urban said they “will be tasked to protect U.S. forces and interests in the region and to deter any aggression.”