Washington/London. January 17. Interfax-A pair of American strategic bombers B-52H Stratofortress on Sunday made a new non-stop flight to the Middle East to "demonstrate readiness to ensure regional stability," the Central Command of the US Armed Forces said.
Against the backdrop of strained relations between Washington and Tehran, this is the fifth flight of US Air Force strategic bombers near Iran in the past two months and the second this year.
British and American air observers, who tracked their route using signals from on-board transponders, reported on social networks that a pair of B-52H from the 5th Bombardment Wing from Minot Air Base (North Dakota), which made a transatlantic flight, were recorded over Gibraltar, the Mediterranean Sea, Israel, Jordan, Saudi Arabia and over the Persian Gulf south of the borders of Iran.
The long flight of bombers across the Atlantic to the Middle East and back was provided by American KC-135K and KC-10A refueling aircraft. During the flight over the Middle East, the B-52H Stratofortress was accompanied by F-16 fighters.
The B-52H pair performed similar missions on January 7, as well as on December 3 and 30 and November 21 last year. They were officially confirmed by the Central Command of the US Armed Forces.
As the Kuwaiti newspaper Al-Qabas reported at the end of December last year, citing informed Iranian sources, Tehran urgently deployed additional air defense forces, including using Russian systems, near its nuclear facilities in anticipation of potential US missile strikes,
"Iran is strengthening the air defense of its nuclear facilities as a precautionary measure in anticipation of any sudden military events that may occur in light of tensions between the United States and Iran before President Trump leaves the White House," the newspaper noted.
In particular, the air defense of the nuclear facilities at Fordow and Natanz - key Iranian uranium enrichment facilities, which the United States sought to close, was strengthened.
The publication, citing informed Iranian sources, indicated that the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps deployed an additional Bavar-373 complex near the Fordow nuclear facility, along with a Russian air defense system, to ensure its protection.