U.S. military officials said the overflight was a show of force to demonstrate America’s commitment to Middle East security and warn rivals against escalation.
The U.S. Air Force sent two B-52 bombers on a high-profile “force projection” overflight across the Middle East on Feb. 17, in a bid to send a clear warning to adversaries and reinforce deterrence against escalating threats.
The bombers, which launched from RAF Fairford in the UK, flew over the airspace of nine Middle Eastern nations, U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) said in a Feb. 18 statement. The mission included aerial refueling and live munitions drops, with U.S. F-15s and fighter escorts from four partner nations providing security.
“Bomber Task Force missions demonstrate U.S. power projection capability, commitment to regional security, and ability to respond to any state or non-state actor seeking to broaden or escalate conflict in the CENTCOM region,” Gen. Michael Erik Kurilla, CENTCOM commander, said in a statement.
While CENTCOM declined to specify which countries participated in the mission, the deployment follows recent U.S.-led airstrikes against terrorist targets in Syria and Iraq, a carrier withdrawal from the region after a collision with a merchant ship, and heightened Iranian military activity.
Two major airstrikes were carried out in recent days by CENTCOM and regional partners, aimed at degrading terrorist networks.
U.S. forces launched a precision airstrike in northwest Syria on Feb. 15, killing a top financial and logistics official for Hurras al-Din (HaD), an al-Qaeda affiliate. Iraqi Security Forces, enabled by CENTCOM, struck an ISIS cell near Rawa, Iraq on Feb. 12, killing five ISIS operatives and destroying weapons, suicide vests, and explosives.
“We will continue to relentlessly pursue terrorists in order to defend our homeland, and U.S., allied, and partner personnel in the region,” Kurilla said in a statement.
The B-52 bomber mission also coincides with a temporary U.S. naval void in the region after the USS Harry S. Truman sustained damage in a collision with a commercial bulk carrier near Egypt’s northern coast, prompting its departure.
This marks the third time since the Israel–Hamas war began in 2023 that the United States has lacked a carrier presence in the Middle East, leaving regional waters open to increased Iranian military activity.
Iran, meanwhile, has continued its military buildup, unveiling new precision-guided drones in Khuzestan province and conducting missile drills near the Strait of Hormuz last month, according to Iranian state media reports.
Tehran has been ramping up its uranium enrichment operations, with U.N. nuclear watchdog chief Rafael Grossi recently warning that Iran is “pressing the gas pedal” on enriching uranium to near weapons grade. Some experts estimate that Iran already has enough material to make around 10 small nuclear warheads about the size of the bombs dropped on Hiroshima in 1945, which killed 100,000 people in an instant. Iranian officials maintain the enrichment program is peaceful and for civilian purposes.
The B-52 flyover also came on the same day as a key U.S.–Russia meeting in Saudi Arabia, where officials tentatively agreed to restore previous diplomatic ties and establish de-escalation working groups over Ukraine.
The talks—led by U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio—excluded both Ukrainian and European officials, triggering backlash from America’s European allies.
The B-52 mission marks a revival of the deterrence and strength-projection tactics known from President Donald Trump’s first term, when overflights were used to pressure Tehran after the 2018 U.S. withdrawal from the Iran nuclear deal.
Trump signed a national security memorandum on Feb. 4 that restores a policy of “maximum pressure” on Tehran, “denying Iran all paths to a nuclear weapon, and countering Iran’s malign influence abroad.”
The memorandum also calls for Iran’s terrorist network to be neutralized and for its development of missiles to be countered.