A large fleet of American stealth bombers is reportedly set to arrive at UK military bases, as President Donald Trump warned Iran that "the big one" may be on the way. American B-2 stealth bombers were expected to land at air bases in Diego Garcia in the Chagos Islands and RAF Fairford in Gloucestershire.
The decision comes after the British government had initially turned down the Trump administration's request to launch strikes from those bases, according to reports. However, Prime Minister Keir Starmer later changed his stance and allowed the US fleet to operate from runways in the United Kingdom within "a matter of days," the Telegraph reported on Wednesday.
Trump's Big Threat to Iran
Starmer reportedly approved the use of the bases for limited defensive operations after Iran began firing indiscriminately at allies across the Middle East, the outlet reported on Friday. On Monday, Trump also warned Iran that "the big one is coming" as he promised to intensify strikes against the Islamic Republic following the outbreak of war last weekend.
"We haven't even started hitting them hard," Trump said. "The big wave hasn't even happened. The big one is coming soon."
War Secretary Pete Hegseth also said on Thursday that the level of firepower directed over Tehran was "about to surge dramatically," adding that the increase would be supported by access to UK bases, according to reports.
"When we say more to come, it's more fighter squadrons, it's more capabilities, it's more defensive capabilities," he said. "And it's more bomber pulses more frequently."
War Intensifies
Meanwhile, Israeli military chief Lt. Gen. Eyal Zamir told a televised briefing on Friday that the joint US-Israeli bombing campaign still had "additional surprises ahead which I do not intend to disclose."
He added that the next phase of the war, now in its seventh day, would "further dismantle the regime and its military capabilities."
The B-2 stealth bombers, which were used early in the conflict to strike Iranian ballistic missile sites, are among the most expensive aircraft in the world, costing roughly $2 billion each and equipped with cutting-edge stealth and precision strike technology, according to multiple defense reports.
