The move was initiated after the United States saw an ‘increase in air superiority’ over the country, Gen. Dan Caine says.
The top U.S. general on Tuesday said that B-52 bombers are flying over Iranian airspace as the conflict with Iran has continued for more than a month.
Gen. Dan Caine, head of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, announced in a news conference at the Pentagon that B-52 Stratofortress bombers have entered Iranian airspace for the first time since the conflict started in late February.
“Given the increase in air superiority, we’ve successfully started to conduct the first overland B-52 missions, which allow us, as we’ve said before, to continue to get on top of the enemy,” Caine said alongside Department of War Secretary Pete Hegseth.
The United States has used B-1 Lancer and B-2 Spirit bombers in missions over Iran. The B-52, a 70-year-old aircraft, lacks the stealth and speed of the other bombers in the U.S. arsenal.
“We continue to assert dominance over the Iranian navy,” Caine also said. “We remain focused on targeting their mine-laying capability, their naval assets, and we’ve now, as I mentioned briefly last time, started to work attack helicopters and other close-air support assets into the naval domain.”
In a separate update on Tuesday, Central Command head Adm. Brad Cooper said that Iran’s navy and air force have been severely degraded, and U.S. forces largely destroyed the country’s capacity to launch missiles.
Earlier this week, President Donald Trump warned Iran that if a cease-fire is not reached in the near future, and if the Strait of Hormuz is not reopened, the U.S. military would broaden its offensive, including by attacking the Kharg Island oil export hub and possibly desalination plants.
A post written by the president on Truth Social on Monday, however, indicated that negotiations between Washington and Tehran were progressing and described the officials with whom the administration is speaking as “more reasonable.”
At the onset of the conflict on Feb. 28, the United States and Israel killed the former top Iranian leader, Ali Khamenei, in strikes. His son, Mojtaba Khamenei, was named as his successor, although he has not made any public appearances so far.
