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US Flies Two B-52s Over Gulf In Mission to Deter Iran

A US Air Force Boeing B-52 Stratofortress long-range bomber - AFP
A US Air Force Boeing B-52 Stratofortress long-range bomber - AFP
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US Flies Two B-52s Over Gulf In Mission to Deter Iran

A US Air Force Boeing B-52 Stratofortress long-range bomber - AFP
A US Air Force Boeing B-52 Stratofortress long-range bomber - AFP

The United States deployed two B-52 long-range bombers over the Gulf on Thursday in what a US official said was a direct message of deterrence to Iran and its proxies.

The US military believes there is a heightened chance for Iranian actions or miscalculations, according to a senior US military official with knowledge of the region, NBC news reported.

His statement came after Iran threatened in recent days to respond to the assassination of its nuclear scientist Mohsen Fakhrizadeh, who was killed near Tehran, in an attack blamed on the Israeli Mossad.

The official said the risk of miscalculation by the Iranians “"is higher than normal right now, it doesn't mean that they're going to do something. But, you know, we want to ensure that if they are contemplating some sort of an aggressive act, that they would they would think twice about it before they did it.”

“Our approach right now is we recognize that there are some potentialities for Iranian miscalculations with respect to how they might behave towards the United States."

The official warned that proxy groups could act against US forces in the region, including in Iraq, and that Iranian-aligned groups may act without Iran's direction or consent.

"It's not just Iran, but some of the proxies that we worry about, particularly in Iraq and the level of Iranian control over those proxies is something that certainly is debatable," he noted.

The US Central Command (CENTCOM) said that it had deployed B-52 bombers in the Middle East last month "at a short notice" to "deter aggression and reassure US partners and allies."

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South Korea, Japan Foreign Ministers Stress Security Ties amid Political Turmoil

South Korean Foreign Minister Cho Tae-yul, right, and Japanese Foreign Minister Takeshi Iwaya, hold a joint news conference following their meeting at the foreign ministry in Seoul, South Korea, Monday, Jan. 13, 2025. (Jung Yeon-je/Pool Photo via AP)
South Korean Foreign Minister Cho Tae-yul, right, and Japanese Foreign Minister Takeshi Iwaya, hold a joint news conference following their meeting at the foreign ministry in Seoul, South Korea, Monday, Jan. 13, 2025. (Jung Yeon-je/Pool Photo via AP)
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South Korea, Japan Foreign Ministers Stress Security Ties amid Political Turmoil

South Korean Foreign Minister Cho Tae-yul, right, and Japanese Foreign Minister Takeshi Iwaya, hold a joint news conference following their meeting at the foreign ministry in Seoul, South Korea, Monday, Jan. 13, 2025. (Jung Yeon-je/Pool Photo via AP)
South Korean Foreign Minister Cho Tae-yul, right, and Japanese Foreign Minister Takeshi Iwaya, hold a joint news conference following their meeting at the foreign ministry in Seoul, South Korea, Monday, Jan. 13, 2025. (Jung Yeon-je/Pool Photo via AP)

Foreign ministers from South Korea and Japan met in Seoul on Monday to discuss strengthening their relations in the face of increasing security challenges in the region and political tumult in the host nation.

It marked the highest-level diplomatic meeting between the countries since South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol's short-lived imposition of martial law last month, a move that has triggered political turmoil in one of Asia's most vibrant democracies.

It also came amid heightened concerns about North Korea's missile testing and deepening security pact with Russia, and China's increasingly muscular attempts to assert its maritime claims in the South and East China Seas.

"The security situation in this region is becoming very severe, and in that strategic environment, the importance of Japan-ROK relations has not changed, and in fact has become increasingly important," Japan's Takeshi Iwaya said at a joint press conference with South Korea's Cho Tae-yul.

Iwaya is also due to meet acting South Korean President Choi Sang-mok, who is standing in for impeached President Yoon.

Yoon has been holed up in his hillside villa in Seoul since parliament voted to suspend him last month over his martial law decree on Dec. 3 with investigators vowing to arrest him in a separate probe into possible insurrection.

At their press conference, Iwaya and Choi also both reiterated the importance of developing three-way security cooperation with their shared ally, the United States.

With the administration of US President-elect Donald Trump set to begin on Jan. 20, none of the original leaders who established the security pact between the countries in 2023 - US President Joe Biden, Yoon, and former Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida - will remain in power.

Yoon had made it a diplomatic priority to mend ties with Tokyo - often strained by historic issues - and pursue a joint security drive with Washington to tackle North Korea's military threats.

In a nod to those efforts to put aside historic issues, Iwaya earlier on Monday visited the Seoul National Cemetery which honors Korean veterans, including those who died seeking independence from Japanese colonial rule which ended in 1945.

Also on Monday, Japan, the Philippines and the United States vowed to further deepen cooperation under a trilateral arrangement in the face of rising tensions in Asia's waters, following a call among their leaders.

Last week, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken on a visit to South Korea expressed confidence in Seoul's democratic process, although he said Washington had expressed "serious concerns" over some of the actions Yoon took over the course of his martial law declaration.

Despite polls showing a majority of South Koreans disapprove of Yoon's martial law declaration and support his impeachment, his ruling People Power Party (POP) has enjoyed somewhat of a revival.

Support for the PPP stood at 40.8% in the latest Realmeter poll released on Monday, while the main opposition Democratic Party's support stood at 42.2%, within a margin of error and down from a gap of 10.8% from last week, the poll said.