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At least 30 US military planes have been moved from bases in America to Europe over the past three days, flight tracking data reviewed by BBC Verify has shown.

The planes in question are all US military tanker aircraft used to re-fuel fighter jets and bombers. According to Flightradar24, at least seven of these - all KC-135s - stopped off in US airbases in Spain, Scotland and England.

The flights come as Israel and Iran continue to exchange strikes, after Israel launched an operation on Friday that it said was to destroy Tehran's nuclear programme.

It is unclear whether the US movements are directly connected to the conflict, but one expert told BBC Verify that the tanker aircraft flights were "highly unusual".


Justin Bronk, a senior analyst with the Royal United Services Institute (Rusi) think tank, said that the deployments were "highly suggestive" that the US was putting in place contingency plans to "support intensive combat operations" in the region in the coming weeks.

The seven jets tracked by BBC Verify have since travelled on and according to flight tracking data could be seen flying east of Sicily as of Tuesday afternoon. Six had no stated destination - one landed on the Greek island of Crete.

But the former head of Irish Defence Forces, Vice-Admiral Mark Mellett, said that the movements could be part of a broader policy of "strategic ambiguity" that could be attempting to influence Iran to make concessions in talks over its nuclear programme.

Israel initially launched an attack on Iranian nuclear infrastructure on Friday, just a day after President Donald Trump's deadline to Iran to strike a deal on suspending its nuclear programme expired.

The jet movements come amid reports that the US has also moved an aircraft carrier - the USS Nimitz, from the South China Sea towards the Middle East. The Reuters news agency reported that a planned event involving the ship in Vietnam was cancelled after what the US embassy in Hanoi called an "emergent operational requirement".

MarineTraffic, a ship-tracking website, showed that the USS Nimitz's last location was in the Malacca Strait heading towards Singapore early on Tuesday. The Nimitz carries a contingent of fighter jets and is escorted by several guided missile destroyers.

The US has also moved F-16, F-22 and F-35 fighter jets to bases in the Middle East, three defence officials told Reuters on Tuesday. The tanker planes moved to Europe over the past several days can be used to re-fuel these jets.

Earlier on Tuesday, Vice-President JD Vance suggested that the US could intervene to support Israel's campaign, writing on social media that Trump "may decide he needs to take further action" to end Iran's nuclear programme.

Tehran is believed to run two principal underground enrichment sites. Natanz has already been hit by Israel, and Fordo is buried deep within a mountain complex near the city of Qom.

To penetrate the facility, the US would likely have to use GBU-57A/B Massive Ordnance Penetrator (MOP) munitions, two senior Western military officers told BBC Verify. MOPs are huge, 30,000lb (13,600kg) bombs also known as "bunker busters".

The bomb is the only conventional weapon of its kind that is thought to be capable of breaching up to 200ft (60m) of concrete. Only the B-2 stealth bomber can carry the munitions.

Recently, the US has had a squadron of B-2 bombers at its base on the island of Diego Garcia. While the island is some 2,400 miles from Iran's southern coastline, their location on Diego Garcia would put them well within striking of range of Iran.

"You would be able to maintain a sustained operation from [Diego Garcia] far more efficiently," Air Marshall Greg Bagwell - a former RAF deputy operations chief - told BBC Verify. "You could literally have them round the clock operating."

Satellite images first showed B-2 bombers had been stationed on Diego Garcia at the end of March, but the most recent imagery from the island no longer shows the bombers present.

Vice-Admiral Mellet said he would expect to see the bombers on the island ahead of any operation targeting Iran and called their absence "a missing piece of the jigsaw".

Air Marshall Bagwell agreed. But he noted that B-2s have been known to operate for 24 hours at a time and could launch from the continental US if the White House decided to launch a strike.

"They've taken away any means for Iran to now defend itself, which obviously leaves any military or even the nuclear targets pretty much at the mercy of whatever Israel wants to do to it."

God1000:
Well Russia, China & North Korea are calmly monitoring & would also start striking when USA starts with her foolishness

God1000:
Well Russia, China & North Korea are calmly monitoring & would also start striking when USA starts with her foolishness

obedience4:
You think China would bring herself into a military confrontation with the US, which could led to clashes in the south china sea because of an Islamic Republic of Iran??

Or Russia which has her battles in Ukraine, knowing fully well that any confrontation with the US and the balance in the war in Ukraine will be tipped??

North Korea being touted for intervention is even laughable

Young man you don't know what you are saying.

God1000:
Allies assist each other in times of war, China can match US power on anything

obedience4:
We are not discussing the military might of China here, it is well documented that she possess a military apparatus that could easily rival the US in any potential conflict, the bone of contention here is will Xi risk a military confrontation with the US, seriously damaging it's economy, not to take over Taiwan but to defend an Islamic Republic of Iran, who is thousands of miles away from the chinese coast??.

From the current posture of China do you think she would take such a risk for Iran, any intervention which involves the Chinese would likely spiral into the south china sea, you think the Chinese is ready to de stabilised its region for iran

God1000:
China will get involved if USA joins the war, Iran is china's strategic ally in Asia.

I know Chinese are not warmongers like Americans but the world has had enough of US nonsense, you will be surprised at the turn of events in coming days

God1000:
Well Russia, China & North Korea are calmly monitoring & would also start striking when USA starts with her foolishness

Botragelad:
Russia, China, and North Korea won’t risk everything for Iran. The same Russia that’s been struggling to defeat Ukraine for years, despite being a much bigger military power. Or the same Russia along with their puppet Assad that got kicked out of of Syria by rebel forces? They’re not in a position to challenge the U.S. directly(militarily). Not for Iran. Lol

China? They care more about their economy than starting a war over Iran. Look at history, China avoids direct military conflicts with the U.S. because trade and growth matter more to them. Even during the Taiwan tensions, they’ve never actually attacked. Why would they throw that away for Iran? Lol. Islamists are funny 🤣!

North Korea? They talk big, like Iran the paper tiger, but they know a real fight with the U.S. would end them. The Korean War (1950-53) already showed us that. They have nukes for survival, not for starting a war they can’t win. They won’t strike the U.S, for now, not for Iran’s sake, that’s suicide.

At the end of the day, Iran is alone. They act tough, but if Israel decides to take out their nuclear sites or even their leaders, nobody’s going to stop it. The Ayatollahs can rant online, but they’re not invincible. Reality isn’t on their side.

God1000:
Well Russia, China & North Korea are calmly monitoring & would also start striking when USA starts with her foolishness

God1000:
Well Russia, China & North Korea are calmly monitoring & would also start striking when USA starts with her foolishness

God1000:
https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/ce8zdl8zdzgo?

obedience4:
You think China would bring herself into a military confrontation with the US, which could led to clashes in the south china sea because of an Islamic Republic of Iran??

Or Russia which has her battles in Ukraine, knowing fully well that any confrontation with the US and the balance in the war in Ukraine will be tipped??

North Korea being touted for intervention is even laughable

Young man you don't know what you are saying.

God1000:
Allies assist each other in times of war, China can match US power on anything


Russia can still help Iran with intelligence support and missile defense system while north Korea will assist with weapons

God1000:
Allies assist each other in times of war, China can match US power on anything


Russia can still help Iran with intelligence support and missile defense system while north Korea will assist with weapons

God1000:
Well Russia, China & North Korea are calmly monitoring & would also start striking when USA starts with her foolishness

God1000:
Allies assist each other in times of war, China can match US power on anything


Russia can still help Iran with intelligence support and missile defense system while north Korea will assist with weapons

obedience4:
If the US should strike Iran, no country will intervene know this an know peace

God1000:
Allies assist each other in times of war, China can match US power on anything


Russia can still help Iran with intelligence support and missile defense system while north Korea will assist with weapons

Bestwt001:
These developments are deeply concerning. The sudden movement of US military assets, especially tanker aircraft and the USS Nimitz, signals serious preparations for potential large-scale conflict. Whether it’s strategic ambiguity or actual build-up for military action, the risks of escalation are massive. Any miscalculation could ignite a regional war with global implications. Diplomacy must not take a back seat now—this is the time for restraint, not brinkmanship. The world is watching, and the stakes couldn’t be higher.