US B-2 bombers head to Gaum amid Israel-Iran tensions
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Six US Air Force B-2 stealth bombers have departed from Missouri and appear to be en route to Guam, amid growing speculation over a potential American military role in the escalating Israel-Iran conflict.
Guam is a US island territory in Micronesia, in the Western Pacific.
The aircraft, tracked via flight data and confirmed through air traffic control communications, took off from Whiteman Air Force Base and refuelled mid-air—suggesting they may be carrying heavy payloads, possibly including bunker-buster bombs.
The B-2 Spirit is one of the only aircraft in the world capable of carrying 15-ton GBU-57 bunker-buster bombs. These weapons, which are designed to penetrate fortified underground targets, are considered by defence experts to be key to attacking Iran's heavily reinforced nuclear facilities, particularly the Fordow enrichment site.
'Destroying [Fordow] from the air is a job only the US can do,' said Mark Dubowitz, CEO of the Foundation for Defense of Democracies, speaking to Fox News Digital.
Jonathan Ruhe, Director of Foreign Policy at the Jewish Institute for National Security of America (JINSA), added that the bunker-busters are engineered to penetrate deep layers of earth, rock, and concrete before detonating underground. The resulting impact, he said, could either fully destroy a target or cause surrounding structures to collapse.
Trump returns for security briefings
President Donald Trump is expected to return to the White House on Saturday, where he will receive intelligence briefings with the National Security Council over the weekend. He has said a decision on potential US involvement in the Israel-Iran conflict will be made soon.
The president has recently clashed with Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard, who testified in March that there was "no evidence" Iran is building a nuclear weapon. Trump publicly stated she was "wrong," while Gabbard later claimed her comments were misrepresented, accusing the media of spreading 'fake news.'
In a statement posted on X, Gabbard said: 'America has intelligence that Iran is at the point that it can produce a nuclear weapon within weeks to months, if they decide to finalize the assembly. President Trump has been clear that can't happen, and I agree.'
Speculation over Diego Garcia stop
It remains unclear whether the B-2 bombers will continue past Guam toward Diego Garcia—a key US-UK military base in the Indian Ocean, located around 3,500 km (2,175 miles) from Iran. Defence analysts have suggested Diego Garcia could serve as a forward-operating base in the event of military escalation.
According to reports, between two and four B-2 bombers, along with six aerial refueling aircraft, departed from Missouri in the early hours of Saturday.
US sanctions on Iran
While the United States has not directly entered the ongoing Israel-Iran conflict, the State Department announced new sanctions on Friday targeting Iran's defense industry. Eight entities and one individual have been blacklisted for allegedly procuring sensitive military machinery from China for Tehran.
Secretary of State Marco Rubio, who initially sought to distance Washington from the conflict, said the measures aim to curtail Iran's ability to escalate military operations.
The developments come as regional tensions intensify following Israeli airstrikes on Iranian military and nuclear sites. Iran has vowed retaliation, while calls for de-escalation have come from countries including Turkey, Russia, and China.
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