The United States is preparing to deploy B-2 stealth bombers from British-linked military facilities after U.K. Prime Minister Keir Starmer authorized access to key runways, a move that could significantly intensify allied air operations against Iran as the conflict in the Middle East enters a more dangerous phase.
British approval allows the U.S. military to operate the aircraft from Diego Garcia in the Chagos Islands and RAF Fairford in Gloucestershire, providing strategic staging points for long-range bombing missions. The decision follows warnings from President Donald Trump that a far larger wave of military strikes could soon follow the initial attacks launched earlier in the conflict.
The shift marks a notable change in London's position. According to reporting from The Telegraph, the British government initially rejected a request from Washington to use U.K. territory for offensive operations but later reversed course as fighting intensified and Iranian forces launched attacks against allied positions across the region.
The deployment would bring one of the world's most advanced strategic aircraft closer to the theater of operations.
The B-2 Spirit stealth bomber, valued at roughly $2 billion per aircraft, is capable of penetrating heavily defended airspace and delivering precision strikes against hardened targets. U.S. officials previously used the aircraft during early operations targeting Iranian ballistic missile infrastructure.
Securing British-run facilities significantly expands the operational reach of American airpower in the conflict.
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth signaled that additional deployments are imminent as the United States builds up its military presence.
"When we say more to come, it's more fighter squadrons, it's more capabilities, it's more defensive capabilities," Hegseth said. "And it's more bomber pulses more frequently."
The announcement coincided with increasingly forceful rhetoric from the White House. Speaking earlier this week, President Trump suggested that the strikes already carried out represent only the opening stage of a much larger campaign.
"We haven't even started hitting them hard," Trump said. "The big wave hasn't even happened. The big one is coming soon."
Military leaders in Israel, which has coordinated closely with Washington during the current conflict, also indicated that additional operations are planned.
In a televised address, Lieutenant General Eyal Zamir, chief of staff of the Israel Defense Forces, suggested the campaign was entering a new phase.
"We have additional surprises ahead which I do not intend to disclose," Zamir said.
The conflict, now entering its second week, has already included airstrikes on missile installations and military infrastructure linked to Iran's strategic capabilities. Analysts say positioning stealth bombers closer to the region could allow allied forces to sustain higher sortie rates while expanding the range of potential targets.
The decision to open British-linked bases underscores the widening international dimension of the conflict. Facilities such as Diego Garcia, long used by U.S. forces as a strategic hub in the Indian Ocean, offer crucial logistical advantages for long-range bombers and surveillance aircraft.
