U.S. bombers fly over Persian Gulf in clear warning to Iran: ‘Overwhelming combat power’

The U.S. and Iran are exiting 2020 the same way they entered it — with bellicose rhetoric and warnings for the other side not to overstep.

The Trump administration on Wednesday delivered another unmistakable signal to Tehran, dispatching bombers on a round-trip mission from North Dakota to the Persian Gulf amid growing fears inside the White House and Pentagon that Iran and its allies in the region are gearing up for fresh attacks against Americans.

The flyover of B-52H “Stratofortress” aircrews — the third such mission in just the past 45 days — underscores how seriously administration officials take the threat of strikes against U.S. military and diplomatic forces stationed in the Middle East. This weekend will mark the one-year anniversary of a U.S. airstrike ordered by President Trump that killed top Iranian Gen. Qassem Soleimani, and top Iranian officials have made clear they believe more must be done to avenge his death.

With tensions between Washington and Tehran again near the boiling point during Mr. Trump’s final days in office, the White House and Pentagon are trying to stave off any potential conflict by demonstrating to Iran that violence directed at Americans will be met with the “overwhelming combat power” of the U.S. military.

“The United States continues to deploy combat-ready capabilities into the U.S. Central Command area of responsibility to deter any potential adversary, and make clear that we are ready and able to respond to any aggression directed at Americans or our interests,” said Gen. Frank McKenzie, commander of U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM), which oversees American military operations in the Middle East.

“We do not seek conflict, but no one should underestimate our ability to defend our forces or to act decisively in response to any attack,” he said in a statement.

CENTCOM has flown bomber missions twice this month and three times in the last 45 days, military officials said. The Navy also recently sailed a nuclear-powered submarine through the Strait of Hormuz just off Iran’s coast. And despite major drawdowns in Afghanistan and Iraq, the U.S. still has tens of thousands of troops stationed at bases in Bahrain, Qatar, Kuwait, and elsewhere in the region.

But top Iranian officials have not moderated their own rhetoric in the face of U.S. threats. Iranian President Hassan Rouhani on Wednesday described Mr. Trump and other top White House officials as “criminals” responsible for Soleimani’s death.

“You cut off the hand of our general and your legs will be cut off from the region,” Mr. Rouhani said of the U.S. during a Cabinet meeting in Tehran on Wednesday, according to the state-run IRNA news service. “As long as you are present in this region, it means we have not taken the final revenge.”

Soleimani, a longtime Iranian military officer who commanded the nation’s elite Quds Force, was believed to have directed multiple attacks against U.S. personnel in Iraq. The Jan. 3 airstrike in Baghdad that killed him also took out a top leader of Iranian-backed Iraqi militia group that many fear could be the vehicle for a retaliatory strike against U.S. assets and personnel.

The verge of war

The airstrike that killed Soleimani nearly brought the U.S. and Iran to all-out war, as Tehran retaliated by shelling Iraqi bases housing U.S. troops, dozens of whom suffered brain trauma injuries from the strikes.

U.S. intelligence and military officials said they’ve detected “fairly substantive threats” from Iran, including the possibility of major rocket attacks against American assets in Iraq. The Iran-backed militias launched one such rocket attack earlier this month, killing a civilian and damaging the U.S. diplomatic complex inside Baghdad’s “Green Zone.”

U.S. military officials also told The Associated Press they’re growing increasingly concerned about “more complex” attacks against Americans in the Middle East, and they say they’ve seen signs that Iran is moving advanced weaponry into position ahead of the anniversary of Soleimani’s death.

Meanwhile, the military tensions and the public war of words between the U.S. and Iran could greatly complicate the foreign policy of President-elect Joseph R. Biden, who has signaled that he intends to extend a diplomatic olive branch to Tehran. Mr. Biden will, for example, seek to rejoin the 2015 multilateral deal that offered Iran relief from economic sanctions in exchange for limits on its nuclear program.

Mr. Trump took the U.S. out of the pact deal in 2018, reimposing sanctions. Iran responded by breaking through the limits on nuclear development in the 2015 deal.

But it’s not clear exactly what the U.S.-Iran dynamic will look like when Mr. Biden takes office on Jan. 20. The past several weeks have seen increased public animosity between Mr. Trump and top Iranian officials.

Last week, Mr. Trump tweeted a photo of three rockets that were purportedly used in the Dec. 21 attack on the massive U.S. Embassy in Iraq. The three rockets failed to explode during the assault.

Guess where they were from: IRAN,” Mr. Trump tweeted.

“Now we hear chatter of additional attacks against Americans in Iraq,” he added. “Some friendly health advice to Iran: If one American is killed, I will hold Iran responsible. Think it over.”

Iranian Foreign Minister Javad Zarif responded just hours later, tweeting a photo of former President George W. Bush beneath the infamous “Mission Accomplished” banner shortly after the U.S. invaded Iraq in 2003. He said that any American intervention against Iran would be a costly mistake.

Mr. Trump “uses a worthless photo to recklessly accuse Iran,” Mr. Zarif tweeted. “Last time, the US ruined our region over WMD fabrications, wasting $7 trillion & causing 58,976 American casualties. FAR WORSE this time. Trump will bear full responsibility for any adventurism on his way out.”