US stealth bombers were flying Saturday across the Pacific Ocean, according to tracking data and media reports, fueling speculation over their intended mission as President Donald Trump considers joining Israel’s attack on Iranian nuclear sites.
Multiple B-2 bomber aircraft left a base in the central United States overnight and were later tracked flying off the California coast along with aerial refueling jets, The New York Times and specialist plane tracking sites reported.
The B-2 is capable of carrying America’s heaviest payloads, including the bunker-busting GBU-57, a 30,000-pound (13,607 kg) warhead capable of penetrating 200 feet underground before exploding.
Such a bomb, which Israel is not known to possess, is the only weapon capable of destroying Iran’s deeply buried nuclear facilities.
When reached for comment, the Pentagon referred AFP to the White House, which did not immediately respond.
Trump, who rarely spends weekends in Washington, is due to return to the White House on Saturday evening to hold an unspecified “National Security Meeting.”
The president said Friday that Iran had a “maximum” of two weeks to avoid possible US air strikes, indicating he could take a decision before the fortnight deadline he had announced a day earlier.
Israel said on Saturday it had killed a veteran Iranian commander during attacks by both sides in the more than week-long air war, while Tehran said it would not negotiate over its nuclear programme while under threat.
Israel says Iran was on the verge of developing nuclear weapons, while Iran says its atomic program is only for peaceful purposes.
An aircraft carrier in the Indo-Pacific is also heading to the Middle East.
‘450 missiles’
Since Israel launched its offensive on June 13, targeting nuclear and military sites but also hitting residential areas, Iran has responded with barrages that Israeli authorities say have killed at least 25 people.
A hospital in the Israeli port of Haifa reported 19 injured, including one person in serious condition, after the latest Iranian salvo.
More than 450 missiles have been fired at the country so far, along with about 400 drones, according to Israel’s National Public Diplomacy Directorate.
Iranian state-run Nour News, while citing country’s health ministry, reported on Saturday that Israeli strikes had killed at least 430 people, including military commanders, nuclear scientists and civilians.
A US-based NGO, the Human Rights Activists News Agency, provided a toll on Friday based on its sources and media reports, saying at least 657 people have been killed in Iran, including 263 civilians.
