The planes in question are all US military tanker aircraft used to re-fuel fighter jets and bombers.
It is unclear whether the US movements are directly connected to the conflict, but one expert told BBC Verify that the tanker aircraft flights were “highly unusual”.
The seven jets tracked by BBC Verify have since travelled on and according to flight tracking data could be seen flying east of Sicily as of Tuesday afternoon.
To penetrate the facility, the US would likely have to use GBU-57A/B Massive Ordnance Penetrator (MOP) munitions, two senior Western military officers told BBC Verify.
“You would be able to maintain a sustained operation from [Diego Garcia] far more efficiently,” Air Marshall Greg Bagwell – a former RAF deputy operations chief – told BBC Verify.
two hours prior.
Alex Murray, Matt Murphy, and Thomas Spencer.
BBC Verify.
Over the last three days, at least 30 US military aircraft have been transferred from American bases to European locations, according to flight tracking data examined by BBC Verify.
All of the aircraft in question are tanker aircraft operated by the US military that refuel bombers and fighter jets. These were all KC-135s, and at least seven of them made stops at US airbases in England, Scotland, and Spain, according to Flightradar24.
The flights follow Israel’s Friday operation, which it claimed was to destroy Tehran’s nuclear program, and the ongoing strike-for-strike exchange between Israel and Iran.
One expert told BBC Verify that the tanker aircraft flights were “highly unusual,” though it is unclear if the US movements are directly related to the conflict.
According to Justin Bronk, a senior analyst at the think tank Royal United Services Institute (Rusi), the deployments were “highly suggestive” that the United States was preparing backup plans to “support intensive combat operations” in the area in the upcoming weeks.
The seven planes that BBC Verify tracked have since moved on and, as of Tuesday afternoon, were visible flying east of Sicily based on flight tracking data. One touched down on the Greek island of Crete, while the other six had no specified destination.
However, Vice-Admiral Mark Mellett, the former head of the Irish Defence Forces, suggested that the movements might be a part of a larger policy of “strategic ambiguity” that aims to persuade Iran to compromise in negotiations over its nuclear program.
Just one day after President Donald Trump’s deadline for Iran to reach an agreement to halt its nuclear program expired, Israel first attacked Iranian nuclear infrastructure on Friday.
The jet movements coincide with reports that the US has also relocated the USS Nimitz, an aircraft carrier, from the South China Sea to the Middle East. An “emergent operational requirement” was cited by the US embassy in Hanoi as the reason for canceling a scheduled event involving the ship in Vietnam, according to the BBC.
The USS Nimitz was last seen early Tuesday in the Malacca Strait, sailing toward Singapore, according to the ship-tracking website MarineTraffic. The Nimitz is accompanied by multiple guided missile destroyers and a group of fighter jets.
According to three defense officials who spoke to Reuters on Tuesday, the United States has also relocated F-16, F-22, and F-35 fighter jets to bases in the Middle East. These jets can be refueled using the tanker aircraft that have been transported to Europe in recent days.
Vice President JD Vance wrote on social media earlier Tuesday that Trump “may decide he needs to take further action” to end Iran’s nuclear program, implying that the US could step in to support Israel’s campaign.
Tehran is thought to operate two major underground enrichment facilities. Israel has already attacked Natanz, and Fordo is buried far away from the city of Qom in a mountain complex.
According to two senior Western military officers who spoke to BBC Verify, the US would probably need to use GBU-57A/B Massive Ordnance Penetrator (MOP) munitions in order to breach the facility. MOPs, also referred to as “bunker busters,” are massive bombs weighing 30,000 pounds (13,600 kg).
The bomb is the only conventional weapon of its kind that is believed to be able to penetrate concrete up to 200 feet (60 meters). The munitions are only transportable by the B-2 stealth bomber.
The United States recently stationed a B-2 bomber squadron at its base on the island of Diego Garcia. They would be well within striking distance of Iran due to their location on Diego Garcia, even though the island is about 2,400 miles from the southern Iranian coast.
“You would be able to maintain a sustained operation from [Diego Garcia] far more efficiently,” former RAF deputy operations chief Air Marshall Greg Bagwell shared with BBC Verify. “They could be in operation literally all day and all night. “.”.
In late March, satellite imagery revealed that B-2 bombers had been stationed on Diego Garcia; however, the bombers are no longer visible in the most recent imagery from the island.
Before any operation against Iran, Vice-Admiral Mellet stated that he would anticipate seeing the bombers on the island, referring to their absence as “a missing piece of the jigsaw.”.
In agreement was Air Marshall Bagwell. However, he pointed out that if the White House chose to launch a strike, B-2s could take off from the continental US and have been known to operate for 24 hours at a time.
Because they have removed Iran’s ability to defend itself, any military or even nuclear targets are now essentially vulnerable to Israel’s will. “,”.
Merlyn Thomas provided additional reporting.
