For the first time since the start of the war in the Middle East, France has allowed US strategic bombers to fly over its territory on their way to Iran, Itamilradar reports, citing a flight tracking application.
The bomber group took off from RAF Fairford, the newspaper reports. From there, they followed a southern route, flying over French airspace, then entered the western Mediterranean and crossed the entire basin, heading east.
According to the newspaper, two Boeing B-52H Stratofortress heavy bombers first crossed the central Mediterranean, turning off their transponders while they were in the eastern Mediterranean, south of Greece. Later, two more Rockwell B-1B Lancer supersonic bombers were tracked along the same route.
Earlier, the BBC, citing a British government spokesman, reported that the United Kingdom had authorized the United States to use its bases to strike Iranian targets threatening shipping in the Strait of Hormuz. According to the spokesman, ministers agreed that the bases could now be used for “American defensive operations” to target “capabilities used to attack shipping in the Strait of Hormuz“.
The UK will not yet be directly involved in the strikes, with Downing Street saying that “the principles underlying the UK's approach to the conflict remain unchanged“.
Days after the US and Israel launched an operation against Iran, the UK has allowed the US to use its military bases to strike Iran. Prime Minister Keir Starmer then stressed that London would not join the operation against the Islamic Republic.
Earlier, US President Donald Trump accused NATO countries of refusing to join the operation to prevent Iran from acquiring nuclear weapons, and now, "when the war has been won militarily and they face virtually no threat, they complain about the high oil prices they are forced to pay."
"They do not want to facilitate the opening of the Strait of Hormuz - a simple military maneuver that is the only reason for high oil prices. For them, it is so easy and so risky. Cowards, we will remember it," the US president concluded.
Earlier, he said that the military operation against Iran "will be over very soon." He said that since the conflict began, US forces have struck more than 7,000 targets in Iran and destroyed all of Iran's minelaying vessels. He had previously said that there was "virtually nothing to attack" in Iran and that the operation was "significantly ahead of schedule."
However, the White House's initial estimate suggested that the campaign would take four to six weeks.