B-52Hs Fly to Middle East in Apparent US Warning to Iran

A U.S. Air Force B-52 from Barksdale Air Force Base is aerial refueled by a KC-135 Stratotanker over the U.S. Central Command area of responsibility on Dec. 30, 2020. U.S. Air Force photo by Senior Airman Roslyn Ward

Two B-52H “Stratofortress” bombers flew a 30-hour round-trip mission from the United States to the Persian Gulf on Wednesday in what appears to be a show of military readiness aimed at Iran.

The mission to the Middle East was the second of its kind this month. The long-range warplanes took off from Minot, North Dakota, on Tuesday, and were refuelled in flight.