The US military flew two nuclear-capable B-52H Stratofortresses over the Middle East on Sunday alongside allied aircraft from the air forces of the United Kingdom, Kuwait and Saudi Arabia, US Central Command (CENTCOM) said. It is the fourth bomber strike (BTF) mission so far this year and comes amid rising tensions with Iran, which tried to seize several US maritime drones operating in international waters last week. During Sunday’s mission, the long-range B-52 bombers took off from England and flew over the eastern Mediterranean, the Arabian Peninsula and the Red Sea. “This Bomber Task Force is a strong, clear representation of the U.S.’s enduring commitment to the region,” Lt. Gen. Alexus Grynkewich, 9th Air Force commander, said in a statement. “Threats to the US and our partners will not go unanswered. Missions like this BTF demonstrate our ability to combine forces to deter and, if necessary, defeat our adversaries.” As fighter jets from the UK, Kuwait and Saudi Arabia escorted the B-52 bombers overhead, Central Army forces simulated firepower on the ground. FMR ISRAEL UN Ambassador: US WEAKNESS WITH IRAN DEAL COULD SEE ISRAEL ‘GET CLOSER’ TO ARAB NEIGHBORS Washington has been negotiating with Iran for 16 months to try to revive the Iran nuclear deal. Former Iranian President Hassan Rouhani, center, listens to the head of Iran’s Atomic Energy Organization, Ali Akbar Salehi, left, while visiting an exhibition of Iran’s new nuclear achievements in Tehran, Iran, in April 2021. (Iranian Presidency Office /AP) Iran submitted a response to a US proposal to revive the deal last month, but a State Department spokesman said it was “not constructive”. While Iran has denied it wants to build a nuclear bomb, the country now has about 3,800 kilograms of uranium enriched to 60 percent purity, according to the International Atomic Energy Agency. Under the previous terms of the nuclear deal, Iran could only have 300 kilograms of uranium enriched to 3.67%. CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP An Iranian ship seized a US maritime drone in the Persian Gulf last Monday, but the Navy’s USS Thunderbolt coastal ship and an MH-60S Sea Hawk helicopter were dispatched to stop the seizure. Then last Thursday, an Iranian warship seized and captured two US maritime drones, but the US 5th Fleet again sent two destroyers and a helicopter to intercept them. Paul Best is a reporter for Fox News Digital. Story tips can be sent to [email protected] and on Twitter: @KincaidBest.
