United States B-52 bombers flew off of Iran’s coast in a show-of-force days before the one-year anniversary of the successful U.S. drone strike that killed Iranian military commander Qassem Soleimani.
The two planes were dispatched from Minot Air Force Base in North Dakota and flew 36 hours to complete the round trip. The mission marked the third time in the last 45 days that the U.S. conducted such flights in the Arabian Gulf, according to the New York Times.
“The United States continues to deploy combat-ready capabilities into the US Central Command area of responsibility to deter any potential adversary and make clear that we are ready and able to respond to any aggression directed at Americans or our interests,” said Gen. Frank McKenzie, the commander of U.S. Central Command, in a statement.
The display comes as the U.S. gears up for potential attacks from Iran or its proxy groups in Iraq, Yemen, and Syria to mark the anniversary of Soleimani’s death. Soleimani was killed in a Jan. 3, 2019, drone strike outside of Baghdad’s international airport. His death, and that of Iraqi militia leader Abu Mahdi al Muhandis, resulted in tensions between the two countries almost reaching the point of all-out war.
Iran responded to the targeted killings by firing a barrage of ballistic missiles at Iraqi military bases housing U.S. forces, resulting in dozens of cases of brain trauma. It then accidentally shot down a Ukrainian airliner, killing 176 people (many of whom were Iranian citizens) and prompting mass protests calling for a regime change.
Ever since Soleimani’s death, the Iranian regime has used his name and likeness as rallying point against the U.S., even naming two surface-to-surface missiles after Soleimani and al Muhandis, who was the leader of Kata’ib Hezbollah, a group that is a proxy of Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps. Soleimani was considered one of the most powerful figures in Iran at the time of his death and commanded the Quds Force, the IRGC’s covert action wing known for its involvement in recruiting and training proxy forces across the Middle East.
Tensions were further raised after an April incident, when about a dozen Iranian naval vessels approached a group of U.S. ships in the Arabian Gulf. The Navy branded the interactions as “unsafe” and “unprofessional.” President Trump said he ordered the Navy to destroy any Iranian vessels that try to pull off similar maneuvers.
Trump, who ordered the targeted killing of Soleimani, warned Iran and its Shiite proxies against retaliation after a rocket attack targeted the U.S. Embassy in Baghdad this month. He said U.S. intelligence has picked up “chatter” about potential future attacks.
“Our embassy in Baghdad got hit Sunday by several rockets,” he tweeted on Dec. 23. “Three rockets failed to launch. Guess where they were from: IRAN. Now we hear chatter of additional attacks against Americans in Iraq … Some friendly health advice to Iran: If one American is killed, I will hold Iran responsible. Think it over.”
Trump has taken a strong stance against Iran during his four years in office. In 2018, he pulled the U.S. out from the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (known as the Iran nuclear deal). The 2015 pact was inked by Iran, the U.S., Germany, France, Britain, China, and Russia. Since the U.S. withdrawal, Iran has been in violation of all of the deal restrictions, including the stockpiling and enrichment of uranium. Following the U.S. withdrawal, Trump and the State Department embarked upon a “maximum pressure” campaign aimed to squeeze the Iranian regime into submission.
President-elect Joe Biden has said he wants to rejoin the nuclear deal, although only if Iran comes into compliance. It is unclear the viability of that and a potential retaliatory attack against the U.S. or its interests around the anniversary of Soleimani’s death could further complicate the foreign policy plans of the incoming administration. Further compounding matters is that Iranian President Hassan Rouhani is up for reelection in June, and if the country elects a harder-line candidate, it could make potential negotiations more difficult.
