US deploys heavy bombers to Indian Ocean as Yemen, Iran tensions flare

Source: Iran Intl

Date: March 26, 2025

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Iran International news and their take on US bombers staging in Diego Garcia Island.

The US is significantly expanding its military presence at Diego Garcia, a strategic Indian Ocean airbase, as Washington ramps up its rhetoric against Iran and continues its bombing campaign against Houthi rebels in Yemen.

The highly strategic British territory has seen a forward deployment of numerous B-2 stealth bombers, C-17 cargo planes and 10 aerial refueling tankers in the last 48 hours, defense industry outlet The War Zone reported citing satellite imagery.

The joint UK–US military base at Diego Garcia has been used as a staging point for US strikes in the Middle East on multiple occasions in the past, including during the opening phases of operations in Afghanistan (2001) and Iraq (2003), suggesting a heightened state of readiness for potential large-scale air operations in the region. 

Flight tracking data and satellite imagery analyzed by open-source intelligence analysts suggest the arrival or transit of at least five B-2 Spirit stealth bombers, capable of carrying the Massive Ordnance Penetrator (MOP) – a 30,000-pound bunker-buster bomb specifically designed to destroy deeply buried and fortified targets, and the 20,000-pound Massive Ordnance Air Blast (MOAB), or "Mother of All Bombs."

The deployment also includes numerous C-17 cargo planes, likely transporting personnel, equipment, and munitions, and a considerable number of KC-135 refueling tankers stationed at various US bases across the Pacific, signaling the logistical capacity for sustained and long-range air operations.

In October, the US used B-2 stealth bombers for strikes on Houthi underground weapons facilities in Yemen for the first time.

The current military mobilization coincides with intensified Trump administration warnings to Iran, linking Tehran to Houthi attacks on Red Sea shipping and raising concerns over its nuclear ambitions, despite US intelligence assessments that Iran lacks an active weapons program.

President Trump has reportedly issued a two-month deadline to Iran, via the UAE, to agree to a new nuclear arrangement, hinting at potential military consequences should Tehran fail to comply.

The report of the deployment came hours after Iran unveiled what it termed a "new missile city" belonging to the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC). Iranian state media reported the display of various domestically produced missiles, including long-range ballistic types, with the Chief of Staff of the Armed Forces, Mohammad Bagheri, speaking of significantly enhanced missile capabilities in the future.

While US officials have voiced a preference for diplomatic engagement, the significant military posture at Diego Garcia, a location largely beyond the reach of Iran's and the Houthis' current missile capabilities, serves as a potent signal of US resolve and the potential for direct military action should diplomatic efforts falter.