The United States is relocating B-2 stealth bombers to the Pacific island of Guam, two U.S. officials told Reuters on Saturday, as President Donald Trump considers whether to commit American forces to support Israel in its ongoing conflict with Iran.
Though the officials did not directly link the deployment to the Middle East crisis, the move comes amid rising regional tensions. The B-2 bomber is capable of carrying the 30,000-pound GBU-57 Massive Ordnance Penetrator, a bunker-busting weapon designed to strike deeply buried targets, such as Iran’s fortified nuclear facility at Fordow.
Details of the deployment remain limited. The officials, speaking on condition of anonymity, said no additional orders had been given to move the bombers beyond Guam, and the exact number of aircraft involved was not disclosed. The Pentagon did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Military analysts are closely watching whether the B-2s will be transferred onward to Diego Garcia, a joint U.S.-British base in the Indian Ocean viewed as a strategic launch point for operations in the Middle East. Until last month, B-2 bombers were stationed at Diego Garcia before being rotated out and replaced by B-52s.
On Saturday, Israel announced the killing of a senior Iranian commander in the latest round of strikes during its ongoing air war with Tehran. Iran has rejected any negotiations over its nuclear program while under military threat, maintaining that its atomic activities are purely peaceful. Israel, by contrast, says Iran is nearing nuclear weapons capability.
President Trump has said he will take up to two weeks to decide on U.S. involvement in the conflict, adding that he wants time “to see whether or not people come to their senses.”
Reuters reported earlier this week that the U.S. has already moved a significant number of refueling tankers to Europe and deployed additional fighter jets and assets to the Middle East. A U.S. aircraft carrier previously stationed in the Indo-Pacific is also en route to the region.
