B-52, Aircraft Carrier in Mideast over Iran Conduct Exercise in Arabian Sea

In this Saturday, June 1, 2019 photo, Abraham Lincoln Carrier Strike Group and a US Air Force B-52H Stratofortress, assigned to the 20th Expeditionary Bomb Squadron and part of the Bomber Task Force deployed to the region, conduct joint exercises in the US Central Command area of responsibility in Arabian sea. (Mass Communication Specialist 3rd Class Amber Smalley/US Navy via AP)
In this Saturday, June 1, 2019 photo, Abraham Lincoln Carrier Strike Group and a US Air Force B-52H Stratofortress, assigned to the 20th Expeditionary Bomb Squadron and part of the Bomber Task Force deployed to the region, conduct joint exercises in the US Central Command area of responsibility in Arabian sea. (Mass Communication Specialist 3rd Class Amber Smalley/US Navy via AP)
TT

B-52, Aircraft Carrier in Mideast over Iran Conduct Exercise in Arabian Sea

In this Saturday, June 1, 2019 photo, Abraham Lincoln Carrier Strike Group and a US Air Force B-52H Stratofortress, assigned to the 20th Expeditionary Bomb Squadron and part of the Bomber Task Force deployed to the region, conduct joint exercises in the US Central Command area of responsibility in Arabian sea. (Mass Communication Specialist 3rd Class Amber Smalley/US Navy via AP)
In this Saturday, June 1, 2019 photo, Abraham Lincoln Carrier Strike Group and a US Air Force B-52H Stratofortress, assigned to the 20th Expeditionary Bomb Squadron and part of the Bomber Task Force deployed to the region, conduct joint exercises in the US Central Command area of responsibility in Arabian sea. (Mass Communication Specialist 3rd Class Amber Smalley/US Navy via AP)

The US military said Sunday a B-52 bomber and an aircraft carrier dispatched to the Mideast over a perceived threat from Iran have conducted a joint exercise together in the Arabian Sea.

The Air Force said in a statement that the exercise saw F/A-18 Super Hornets, MH-60 Sea Hawk helicopters and E-2D Growlers from the USS Abraham Lincoln fly with the B-52 bomber.

The Air Force said the aircraft also "simulated strike operations" in the exercise, which took place on Saturday.

The White House dispatched the Lincoln and its strike force to the Mideast in May over an Iranian threat.

The US pulled out of Iran's nuclear deal a year ago. Since then, relations have grown tense as America imposes ever-tougher sanctions on Tehran.



Interior Minister: France Leaning Towards Far-left Suspects Behind Rail Sabotage

SNCF employees look on as a TGV train moves past them at Vald'yerre on the outskirts of Chartres, northern France on July 26, 2024, after the resumption of high speed train services on the line between Paris and Bordeaux. (Photo by JEAN-FRANCOIS MONIER / AFP)
SNCF employees look on as a TGV train moves past them at Vald'yerre on the outskirts of Chartres, northern France on July 26, 2024, after the resumption of high speed train services on the line between Paris and Bordeaux. (Photo by JEAN-FRANCOIS MONIER / AFP)
TT

Interior Minister: France Leaning Towards Far-left Suspects Behind Rail Sabotage

SNCF employees look on as a TGV train moves past them at Vald'yerre on the outskirts of Chartres, northern France on July 26, 2024, after the resumption of high speed train services on the line between Paris and Bordeaux. (Photo by JEAN-FRANCOIS MONIER / AFP)
SNCF employees look on as a TGV train moves past them at Vald'yerre on the outskirts of Chartres, northern France on July 26, 2024, after the resumption of high speed train services on the line between Paris and Bordeaux. (Photo by JEAN-FRANCOIS MONIER / AFP)

France is leaning towards the likelihood that far-left extremists were behind last week's sabotage of the country's SNCF rail network - which coincided with the Olympic Games opening ceremony, Interior Minister Gerald Darmanin said.
Saboteurs struck France's high-speed train network on Friday with pre-dawn attacks on signal substations and cables at critical points, causing travel chaos hours before the opening ceremony.
"We have identified the profiles of several people," Darmanin told France 2 TV, regarding the hunt for those saboteurs. He added that the saboteurs' mode of operation bore the hallmarks of far-left extremists, without providing examples.
All trains were back up and running by Monday morning after teams worked around the clock over the weekend to fix the damage, Transport Minister Patrice Vergriete said on RTL radio, according to Reuters.
Overall 800,000 people faced travel disruptions because of the attacks, including 100,000 people whose trains had to be cancelled outright, he said, adding the cost to the state-owned rail operator SNCF would be considerable.