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Satellite images indicate that the United States has significantly reinforced its military presence at a base on an island in the Indian Ocean, located near Yemen and Iran. The buildup comes at a time of heightened tensions between Washington and Tehran, amid threats from former President Donald Trump and the ongoing U.S.-led airstrikes against the Iran-backed Houthi rebels in Yemen.
According to a report by Sky News, at least five B-2 stealth bombers have recently arrived at the remote Diego Garcia base in the Indian Ocean, with additional bombers en route. While the island is a British territory, the U.S. operates military facilities there. In the past, American aircraft have launched strikes from Diego Garcia against targets in Afghanistan and Iraq.
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US President Donald Trump; the US is said to have moved stealth bombers closer to Iran and Yemen
(Photo: Mandel Ngan / AFP)
Reports indicate that transport planes have also recently landed at the base, suggesting the transfer of equipment and supplies, along with aerial refueling aircraft. Sky News noted that the concentration of aircraft could signal preparations for additional U.S. airstrikes in the Middle East.
Last week, Trump escalated his implicit threats of military action against Iran, warning that U.S. operations in Yemen might not be confined to that country. He declared that from now on, any Houthi attack would be considered an attack by Tehran.
“Let there be no mistake — hundreds of attacks carried out by the Houthis, the criminals and vicious thugs based in Yemen and hated by the Yemeni people, originate in Iran,” Trump wrote in a post on his social media platform, Truth Social. “Any further attack or response by the ‘Houthis’ will be met with overwhelming force, and there is no guarantee that force will stop there.”
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The growing tensions between Washington and Tehran are also fueled by Iran’s continued nuclear program, increasing pressure on Trump regarding how to respond. This month, he stated that he had sent a letter to Iran’s Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, warning that there are “two ways” to prevent Tehran from acquiring nuclear weapons — “a military option, or we make a deal.” Last week, reports emerged that the letter included a two-month deadline for reaching a new nuclear agreement.
Meanwhile, the Pentagon recently extended the deployment of the aircraft carrier USS Harry S. Truman in the Red Sea for an additional month and ordered the USS Carl Vinson to the Middle East.