On February 3rd, six Iran patrol boats approached a U.S. flagged oil tanker operating in the Strait of Hormuz and threatened to board it.
The M/V ‘Stenna Imperative’ was approached by six small gunboats, armed with .50 caliber machine guns, owned by the Iranian Revolutionary Guards Corp (IRGC) and an Iranian Mohajer Drone. At the time the tanker was approximately 16 miles North of the coast of Oman, according to maritime tracking data. It had already passed through the Strait of Hormuz when contacted by the gunboats.
Approximate location of the ahip when the incident occurred.
The gunboats attempted to contact the tanker by radio, ordering the ship to “stop the engines and prepare to be boarded.” The ship responded by increasing engine power and maintaining its course. The U.S. navy responded by ordering the USS Mcfaul, a Guided missile destroyer to respond. The destroyer escorted the ship out of the area, with the aid of two F-16’s and the ship continued on its course to Bahrain.
The M/T Stenna Imperative is a civilian tanker but also certified to carry out operations for the U.S. navy. Most importantly, This means the ship is authorized to carry out transferring fuel to underway naval ships through abeam refueling. This fusion of military and civilian operations helps the navy fill a gap in its gray-hulled military replenishment fleet.
US Central Command confirmed the incident with the patrol boats came several hours after the U.S. forces shot down an Iranian Shahed-129 drone that came too close to the Aircraft carrier USS Abraham Lincoln (CVN- 72) while the ship was sailing in international waters in the Arabian Sea. Captain Tim Hawkins said the drone came “aggressively close” to the carrier even after the U.S. forces took “de-escalatory measures”.
“CENTCOM forces are operating at the highest level of professionalism and ensuring the safety of US personnel, ships, and aircraft in the Middle East.” Said Capt. Tim Hawkins “ Continued Iranian Harassment and threats in international waters and airspace will not be tolerated. Iran’s unnecessary aggression near U.S. forces, regional partners and commercial vessels increases risk of collisions, miscalculation, and regional destabilization.”
The U.S. has built a sizable presence in the region, especially near Iran with what president Trump calls a “massive armada”. The military has sent these forces to the region under the president’s direction with the possibility for military strikes into Iran in response to a brutal crackdown on Iranian regime protesters. Thousands have been believed to have been killed by regime forces since the start of the protest.
Negotiations have been ongoing between the United States and Iran however little progress has been made.
A week after the USS Abraham Lincoln Carrier Strike Group (CSG) was redirected from the South China Sea the warships arrived in the Arabian Sea. US Central Command (US CENTCOM) confirmed the redeployment of the ship to the Middle East on social media on the 26th of January and located the ship as being somewhere in the Indian Ocean.
Sailors aboard USS Abraham Lincoln (CVN 72) perform routine maintenance as the aircraft carrier sails in the Indian Ocean, Jan. 26. The Abraham Lincoln Carrier Strike Group is currently deployed to the Middle East to promote regional security and stability. pic.twitter.com/dkuN946hce
The Carrier Strike Group was dispatched to the region by the U.S. President Donald Trump after he made warning threats to Iran to stop their crackdown on anti-regime protests. The regime’s security forces have opened fire on protesters resulting in thousands of deaths according to human rights watch groups. The carrier strike group that’s moving into the region is made up of the USS Abraham Lincoln as well as three Arleigh Burke-Class Guided Missile Destroyers (as well as a suspected Fast-Attack submarine that would usually accompany a CSG).
“We have a big force going toward Iran. I’d rather not see anything happen, but we’re watching them very closely.” Donald Trump to reporters aboard Air Force One.
While it’s unclear how long the CSG will remain in the region irs addition to the forces slowly building in the region enhances the striking capabilities of the United States.
This map, posted by Twitter user and INDOPAC expert @IanEllisJones shows all of the forces that have been recently moved to the Middle East/CENTCOM region. This map only shows what has been reported publicly and focuses mostly on air and sea assets of CENTCOM and nearby involved units in EUCOM. Both US Commands have a large pool of ground forces however their involvement in any potential strikes on Iran would be minimal if any at all.
USS Frank E Peterson, JR sails alongside the USS Abraham Lincoln in the Pacific Ocean.
Starting off let’s look closer at the newest addition to the region, the USS Abraham Lincoln and it’s CSG. The carrier is escorted by three Arleigh Burke-Class Guided Missile Destroyers. The USS Frank E Peterson, JR. (DDG 121) operating as the Air Defense Commander. This ship integrates all the radar and defense systems of the other ships and takes charge during an attack on the ship being able to remotely use the other connected ships systems to detect, track and destroy incoming air and missile threats to the CSG. The other two destroyers make up Destroyer Squadron (DESRON)21, the USS Michael Murphy (DDG-112), and the USS Spruance (DDG-111). These ships are going to carry a variety of anti-ship, air, and ground attack missiles. The map has them all three carrying 32 Tomahawk Land Attack Missiles (TLAM’s) a piece. That number is just an estimate, the ships true loadout won’t be known but I don’t think 96 TLAM’s for the whole CSG is too far outside of the realm of possibility.
USS Michael Murphy (DDG-112)
The destroyers carry a variety of missiles but a typical loadout for a flight II and up Arleigh Burke goes something like this.
Lastly, any carrier strike group is likely to be escorted by at least one of the Navy’s fast attack sub’s. These submarines are usually not brought up in any sort of reporting or public releases from the navy but we know the carriers almost always have one nearby just for anti-submarine work as well as their ability to strike ground targets using TLAM’s.
Virginia-Class Submarine
Looking specifically at the carrier, USS Abraham Lincoln (CVN-72) is a Nimitz-class aircraft carrier. The deck and hangar of the ship is filled with Carrier Air Wing 9 (CVW-9). The current list of squadrons and aircraft is as follows.
CVW-9 aboard the USS Abraham Lincoln.
The “Tophatters” of Strike Fighter Squadron (VFA) 14, flying F/A-18E Super Hornet multirole fighter jets.
The “Black Aces” of VFA 41, flying F/A-18FSuper Hornet multirole fighter jets.
The “Vigilantes” of VFA 151, flying F/A-18E Super Hornets multirole fighter jets.
An F/A-18E Super Hornet, attached to Strike Fighter Squadron 151, launches from the flight deck of the USS Abraham Lincoln (CVN 72) while conducting routine flight operations in the Arabian Sea. Abraham Lincoln is deployed to support security and stability within the Middle East region. – CENTCOM Social Media post January 30th 2026.
The “Black Knights” of Marine Fighter Attack Squadron (VMFA) 314 flying F-35C Lightning II’s.
F-35C from the “Black Knights“ of VFMA 314.
The “Wizards” of Electronic Attack Squadron (VAQ) 133, flying EA-18G Growler Electronic Warfare Aircraft.
EA-18G Growler from VAQ 133 jumping from the Abraham Lincoln back in 2024. These recently received the upgraded ALQ-249 Next-Generation Jammer (NGJ) pods.
The “Wallbangers” of Carrier Airborne Early Warning Squadron (VAW) 117 flying E-2D Hawkeye Airborne Early Warning aircraft.
The “Titans” of Fleet Logistics Multi-Mission Squadron 30 (VRM-30) CMV-22B Osprey Multiuse Tiltrotor aircraft.
The “Raptors” of Helicopter Maritime Strike Squadron (HSM) 71, flying MH-60R Seahawk Helicopters.
MH-60R Seahawk (HSM-71 / CVW-9) aboard USS Spruance (DDG 111) – July 2024
The “Chargers” of Helicopter Sea Combat Squadron (HSC) 14 flying MH-60S Seahawk Helicopters.
These squadrons give the USS Abraham Lincoln its main offensive capability as well as add some flexibility to any strike plans, and add support for the whole ship. The F/A-18’s especially are capable of carrying and deploying a wide array of munitions, making them one of the most versatile multirole jets in operation. Able to carry a variety of munitions like the JDAM’s, Small Diameter Bombs, as well as rockets, anti-ship, and anti-radar missiles. These multi-role titans, aided by the stealthy F-35c and the Electronic Warfare capabilities of the EA-18G you would be hard pressed to find a job this carrier air wing couldn’t handle.
The weapons able to be deployed by the Super Hornet.
Now looking back at the map from Mr. Ellis. Multiple sources have confirmed the 37 F-15E Strike Eagles arriving into Jordan. CENTCOM themselves released images showing their arrival into the midddle east.
A U.S. Air Force F-15E Strike Eagle assigned to the 494th Expeditionary Fighter Squadron lands at a base in the Middle East, Jan. 18. The F-15's presence enhances combat readiness and promotes regional security and stability. pic.twitter.com/QTXgOsOozV
The post does give a location but the location was geolocated fairly quickly to the Muwaffaq Salti Air base in Jordan. The map mentions a number of A-10’s being present at that base and while evidence exists of their presence in the Middle East, the exact location is unknown. Elsewhere in the CENTCOM AOR is a squad of F-16’s originally from Aviano AB. The map also shows the large number of F-35’s and F-15’s currently stationed in the UK which could be used if any strikes are carried out in Iran.
Several more ships are operating in the Persian gulf area. USS Mitscher (DDG-57) and USS McFaul (DDG-74), are both operating independently in the region. Littoral Combat Ships USS Canberra (LCS-30), USS Tulsa (LCS-16) and USS Santa Barbara (LCS-32) are additionally operating with a mine countermeasure mission package. The newest addition is USS Delbert Black (DDG-119) which was reported entering the Red Sea today.
USS Roosevelt (DDG-80) is close by, operating in the Mediterranean but could quickly be called to action.
Much of this map shows assets not exactly in theater but very nearby, assets that could very quickly be moved if need be. On top of all of this you have the U.S. Air Force bomber fleet which can be anywhere in the world in less than 24 hours.
This map above, posted by investigative research user Defensegeek shows flight movements for the past couple days. The map shows recent arrivals of not only strike fighters, but logistics and recon assets as well.
As of the conclusion of this article on the 29th, reports are starting to circulate that the White House is now deciding what to do about Iran. A media outlet based in London, Iran international is claiming that a joint U.S./Israel will be carried out with the intent of completely collapsing the current Iranian government and that only the timing is being considered at this stage. President Trumps himself, on January 30th claimed that he directly laid out a deadline for some sort of agreement between the US and Iran.
This is a continuing story and will be covered here fully by GCR.
Satellites images taken over the weekend show the USS Abraham Lincoln turning West, turning away from the Indi-Pacific and headings towards the Middle East.
By. Scott Jackson
01/20/2026
Several days ago the USS Abraham Lincoln(CVN 72) along with its Carrier Strike Group(CSG) which had most recently been sailing in the South China Sea, turned West, reportedly, with new orders- to sail to the Middle East. The ship and her escorts will join the US Fifth Fleet and conduct operations in the strategically and geopolitically important waterways of the Middle East.
Currently the USS Abraham Lincoln Carrier Strike Group is made up of destroyers USS Frank E. Petersen, Jr. (DDG-121), USS Spruance (DDG-111) and USS Michael Murphy (DDG-112). The carrier embarked with the air power of Carrier Air Wing (CVW) 9.
USS Frank E. Petersen, Jr.USS Spruance (DDG-111)USS Michael Murphy (DDG-112)
Late on Sunday (about 11:00 pm local time) the carrier was spotted entering the Malacca Strait which can be seen In the photo below, posted by USNI the ship was caught sailing past Singapore at about midnight. By Monday the carrier’s AIS data showed it was on the last stretch of the Malacca Strait before the Indian Ocean.
The dark shape of the USS Abraham Lincoln as it looked sailing through Singapore, in its way through rk mm
There are currently no U.S. aircraft carriers in the Middle East and right now there are only two CSG’s deployed at all- the Abraham Lincoln CSG heading towards the Middle East and the Gerald R. Ford CSG which has been operating in the Caribbean.
Last known position of the USS Abraham Lincoln.
GCR as well as other media outlets have reached out to the Pentagon as well as the Navy for confirmation, but we’ve received no statement back at the time of writing.
The instability in the region since 2024 has three times now caused a carrier strike group to be rerouted from the Indo-pacific region to the Middle East. USS Abraham Lincoln in 2024 and the USS Nimitz CSG last June.
The USS Abraham Lincoln will reach the Central Command (CENTCOM) area of responsibility in roughly 5-6 days. Tensions in the area are the probable cause of this redeployment and shifting of forces, with instability and conflict in both Syria and Iran.
🇸🇾 #Syria: Drone footage shows the Syrian Democratic Forces’ (SDF) drone unit, the “Martyr Haroun Units,” striking vehicles and dropping explosive payloads on militants from the Syrian Army (HTS) allegedly in the southern countryside of Hasakah. pic.twitter.com/RmNVp00UAz
Following protest being met with violence in Iran, the White House threatened military action against Iran with President Trump claiming “Help is on its way.”. Those protest have been ongoing in multiple cities around the country for several weeks now, and are often met with gunfire from the various Iranian security forces. In Syria, fighting between the regime and Kurdish SDF forces in the North has been ongoing for a time.
The redeployment of the USS Abraham Lincoln from the Indo-Pacific leaves only the forward deployed USS George Washington (CVN 73), currently undergoing maintenance in Yokosuka, Japan. It would take some time for the USS George Washington to be 6ready for sea as at the very least its carrier air wing would need to undergo carrier qualification training before being allowed to set sail.
The U.S. also has the Japan-based amphibious assault ship Tripoli (LHA-7) which is conducting patrols in the Indo-Pacific region as well as cruiser USS Robert Smalls (CG-62) and destroyer USS Rafael Peralta (DDG-115) according to USNI.
Tripoli (LHA-7)
Apart from naval movements, sharp eyed flight trackers noticed an increase in flights heading to US bases in the Middle East. In the last 24 hours at least a dozen US Air Force F-15E Strike Eagles from the 48th Fighter Wing departed RAF Lakenheath in the United Kingdom and arrived at the Muwaffew Salti Air Base in Jordan. Four KC-135’s accompanied them. A number of C-17’s also reportedly departed from the UK and made their way to the Middle East.
F-15E Strike Eagle landing in Jordan, relesed this morning by US CENTCOM
This morning(11.14.2025), the Greek owned, Marshall Islands flagged crude oil tanker M/V Talara was ambushed and seized by forces of the Iranian Revolutionary Guards Corp(IRGC) while transiting the Gulf of Oman.
The M/V Talara departed from the port of Ajman in the United Arab Emirates(UAE), for a short trip to Singapore according to the ships AIS data which can be viewed publicly on maritime tracking services. The British maritime risk assessment group Vanguard reported that the ship was surrounded by Three Iranian IRGC fast attack craft while near the strait of Hormuz. Contact with the ship was lost at this time and at 8:22am local time the ship reportedly turned towards the direction of Iran. It’s last signal was around 12:06PM still on a course towards Iran.
Iranian fast attack patrol boats.
At the time of the incident a Northrop Grumman MQ-4C Triton with the U.S. Navy was present in the strait and was seen circling the area where the incident took place. According to media reports no damage or casualties are reported at this time.
Flight tracking data showing the MQ-4C Triton during the incident. This shows us where the ship was seized and turned towards Iran. The drone never went into Iran, interference can sometimes distort a flight path.
In a statement Columbia shipmanagement, the company who manages the ship said “The vessel, carrying a cargo of high-sulphur gasoil, was transiting the Indian Ocean during its passage from Sharjah, United Arab Emirates to Singapore when contact was lost at around 0822 local time on Friday, 14 November, 2025 approximately 20 nautical miles off the coast of Khor Fakkan, United Arab Emirates.”
The company said they are working closely with the relevant authorities. They added “The safety of the crew remains our foremost priority,”
The ship is owned by the Greek Coronis Family Group of Companies. They have yet to release a statement of any kind.
Merchant vessels have been advised of the incident and warned to practice caution while transiting the Strait of Hormuz.
The ship is believed to be sitting in port somewhere in the Khuran (or Clarence) Strait, a smaller strait inside of the strait of Hormuz. Tomorrow’s satellite imagery should tell us more.
Khuran (or Clarence) Strait, where the ship is believed to be held.
Recently released images show the damage after an Iranian attack on the U.S. Al Udeid airbase. The June 23rd ballistic missile attack was mostly intercepted, video of which can be seen here.
Qatari residents watch as US air defenses take out incoming Iranian ballistic missiles.
Al Udeid is a large military complex and is currently the forward operating base for US Central Command and the USAF Central Command and several air squadrons as well as one from the Royal Air Force. Al Udeid has been an important US instillations since after Desert Storm when a Defense Cooperation Agreement was signed and the base was built in 1996. The U.S. kept the base somewhat secret until the early 2000’s when it was used to launch missions into Afghanistan. Since then the base has remained an important strategical command post for US forces in the Middle East.
The Iranian attack on June 22nd was being carried out for several reasons but mainly as retaliation for the U.S.’s strike on Iran’s nuclear sites several days earlier. On a deeper level the retaliation was planned because Iran needed to appear to remain strong in front of their allies and the rest of the world. Not striking back, for them, was not an option.
Hours before the attack the US was made aware of the planned attack by the Qatari government who were told by Iranian officials. This gave the US enough warning that no lives were lost.
Above shows a before image of the exact area that received damage. What you’re looking at is a satellite antenna for the Wideband Global SATCOM (WGS) network. It is not a radar as some have reported.
Here is what it looks like on the inside.
Inside the radar dome at Al-Udeid.
Several days after the attacks this is what the same spot looked like.
The back circle is the remains of the radar dome and dish.
Looking closer with photos from the ground …
We knew several days ago that the site had received damage but having pictures from the ground is always a bonus.
Fixing the damage will be a high priority for the forces at the base. It’s a fairly new system made by L3Harris so it’s likely expensive. I’m the interim it’s possible a smaller version of the same model can be brought in to take care of their immediate communication needs.
Right now 15 sailers are missing and presumed dead after Houthi forces carried out their second attack and subsequent sinking of a cargo ship in the Red Sea this week.
Image taken of the Eternity C frim 2019.
The Eternity C, a Greek-owned cargo vessel was attacked on Monday, one day after the attack on the ‘Magic Seas’, showing an increase in the Houthis willingness to attack shipping since the ceasefire with the U.S.
The attacks main thrust , according to the United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operation, started around 1703 (5:03PM) on Monday. At that time the company security officer reported that the ship had been hit with multiple Rocket propelled grenade rounds and was being approached by multiple small craft. They had been in and out of fights with this group of boats for the past day as they attempted to get through the Red Sea.
10 minutes after the first UKMTO report Eternity C, reported that the vessel has sustained significant damage and has lost all propulsion. At this point the ship was surrounded and taking continuous fire from the small boats. The boat was completely overrun after that.
The Europeans unions defensive operation in the region- Operation Aspides, rescued several of the crew of the Eternity C floated in the water for 24 hours before a rescue could be made. The Yemeni Navy also responded to rescue survivors.
The Houthis claimed responsibility for the assault, releasing several videos. One I’ve included as they are both very similar The ship is filmed as it slowly sinks after being struck with a missile which caused damage to the deck but did not cause the sinking. Holes caused by off screen damage can be seen at the ships water line.
The U.S. mission in government controlled parts of the Yemen, accused the Houthis of kidnapping many of the survivors of the ship who have yet to be found.
Update-
Of the crew, 10 were rescued, 3 were killed and 12 are suspected to have been kidnapped.
Several hours ago the M/S ‘Magic Seas‘ a Greek-flagged and Liberian registered cargo carrier traveling through the Red Sea was attacked by multiple Houthie boats who exchanged small arms fire at the ship in an attempt to hijack the vessel. The ships security team returned fire. During the course of the firefight the vessel was struck with an unknown (at the time) projectile which started a fire. The ships crew ultimately had to abandon their ship as its condition became dire.
Magic Seas set ablaze after an attack carried out by Houthi fighters.
This is the first attack from the Houthi rebels of Yemen since December of last year. They took credit shortly after the attack occurred,claiming it was in support of Palestinians in the ongoing war between Hamas and Israel.
When the attack occurred the ship was about nautical miles southwest of the Yemeni port of Hodiedah. The report from the UKMTO says that at 1125 UTC the ahip came under attack from 8 skiffs carrying multiple fighters apiece that opened up with small arms fire and RPG’s, and also attacked with unscrewed drone boats.
Magic Seas.The first update from the UK Maritime Trade Operations informing of the attacks. An update from several hours later confirming that the ship was taking on water and the crew was abandoning ship.
In their statement, published on the Al Ansar Telegram channel, the Houthis claimed that the ship for the profile for ships that should be targeted. They also stated that four navel drones took part in the attack on the Magic Seas. They indicated that two of the drones collided with the port side of the ship which caused the fire.
Houthi attacks on shipping in the Red Sea started in November 2023, In support of Hamas and their war against Israel in Gaza. Since then dozens of vessels have been attacked, most with Iranian supplied ballistic missiles fired from Yemen. Shipping company’s from most of the worlds nations have all had to weigh the options of a faster trip through the Red Sea and the danger of a Houthi missile attack, or a safer but much longer and more costly trip around the Horn of Africa. In total the Houthis managed to sink two ships- the M/S Tutor and M/S Rubymar and damaged many more. Four mariners have been killed total with many more being held hostage.
(By my memory over 30 ships were attack,possibly more.)
In 2024 the Biden administration started up near daily airstrikes against the Houthis targeting missiles and drone production sites, their launching infrastructure and military infrastructure, radar, and air defense. The changing of the US administration seen a change to the policy against the Houthis with a monthlong campaign of airstrikes being carried out in March.
According to US President Donald Trump, the attack last night at about 2:00 am (local time) on three of Iran’s nuclear sites was a success. Speaking to Fox News an hour or so after the attack Trump said that a total of six of the GBU-57 Massive Ordnance Penetrator- a 30,000 pound, GPS guided, “bunker buster” on Fordow others were used elsewhere. The bombs were dropped by USAF B-2 Spirit stealth bombers into Iran’s Fordow Fuel Enrichment Plant. It was later reported that 7 bombers total took part in the strike, as well as a support package provided by CENTCOM.
The Natanz and Isfahan Nuclear facilities were hit with 30 BGM-109 “Tomahawk” land-attack cruise missiles (TLAM) fired from the USS Georgia (SSGN 729).
The result, Trump claims, was the complete destruction of all three plants.
Satellite images from the awesome people over at Planet labs shows us the impact spot for the GBU-57’s.
Fordow Fuel Enrichment Facility several months ago. Fordow image taken today, the morning after the attack 06/22/2025) .
These next images show the spot a little better. From Maxar.
This one clearly shows the impact crater where the bomb burrowed its way through the soil and into the mountain. The ridge of the mountain is different in this video showing just how destructive the blast actually was.
This last image below is from Maxar as well and shows the 6 holes left by the bunker busting behemoths as they slammed through the mountain.
You can see the entrance holes from six individual bomb in this zoomed in image of the site. The holes are in two groups fairly close together.
In this image we can see just how accurate a B-2 launched GBU-57 MOP really is. Being GPS guided, they can almost put one in the hole left by one of the others. As a B-2 can carry two of these bombs it would appear that at least three of the stealth bombers took part in this strike. My thinking is that the two made their individual drops and the third one put one more on top of each group. Total it’s being reported that 14 of the bunker busting bombs were used according to Joint Chiefs of Staff General Dan Cain.
In the weeks and days leading up to the strikes satellite images show a large number of trucks in site leading analysts to believe that a large portion of the valuable equipment had been moved from Fordow. In the following pictures 16 trucks can be seen with heavy equipment located near the entrance.
The strikes were proceeded by a reported heavy wave of GPS jamming and other electronic interference. I haven’t heard exactly what support craft took part in this mission. The F-35 is capable of Electronic Warfare as is the EA-18G Growlers flying from the US aircraft carriers in the region. The electronic jamming added to the stealth feature of the bombers and Iran reportedly never got a shot off at them. Another suspected factor that’s come up is that it’s being reported that Israel destroyed the air defense around Fordow, specifically, at the request of the U.S. administration. This is a closer coordination between the two countries militaries than most suspected, given some of the recent comments through the media. Israeli officials had stated just hours before the attack that Israel would not wait for the two week deadline that Trump gave himself to make a decision.
That decision was apparently made in the very last minutes as the bombers were in the air over Iran, US president Donald Trump have the order to SECDEF Pete Hegseth to bomb the facilities.
In the aftermath of the strike Iranian officials were livid. Iran’s foreign minister accused Washington of crossing “a very big red line” and that the U.S. would face consequences. US officials, like SECDEF Pete Hegseth messaging on this has remained focused on the destruction of Iran’s nuclear facilities, as they try to separate Americas goals from those of Israel who likely seeks complete regime change.
“the United States is not at war with Iran….We are at war with its nuclear ambitions,”
US Vice President JD Vance.
Iran responded to the attacks by launching a ballistic missile attack in Tel Aviv several hours later, one of the largest since the start of hostilities.
Israel today, has continued its strikes on Iran with reports of strikes in Tehran as well as Tabriz.
Thanks for reading. Your support is always appreciated and your shares of my articles and post helps grow this page giving us more resources to continue to out back into it. As GCR continues to grow I’m looking to expand into making a podcast. If you know anybody with knowledge or experiences that are relevant to what we write about here let me know. -Scott
As the US president Donald Trump is set to meet with his NSC National Security Council tonight (Saturday) Six US long range strategic stealth bombers, the B-2 spirit are being moved to a U.S. base in the Pacific. At least 6 of them were spotted by flight tracking software along with their refueling planes. They took off from Whiteman AFB in Missouri and refueled soon after leading some to believe that the planes were carrying a considerable amount of weight at takeoff.
Reuters spoke to several unnamed officials who said that no forward orders beyond Guam had been given yet.
These bombers were recently positioned at the joint British/US base in the Indian Ocean, Diego Garcia. That location is the likely destination if these assets are to be moved closer to Iran. Currently at least two B-52’s are located at Diego Garcia.
Assets like this are put in place ahead of time, even if they aren’t ultimately utilized to give the President options in case he decides to go forward, joining Israel and carrying out US offensive actions on Iran.
The B-2 Spirit is a stealth, long-range bomber that can carry an assortment of munitions. For its likely intended purpose in destroying underground nuclear sites in Iran the B-2 is suspected to deploy one or more of the GBU-57 Massive Ordnance Penetrator, or MOP. The GBU-57 is a 30,000 pound, GPS guided, bunker busting bomb capable of penetrating deep into the earth before exploding. The GBU-57 can penetrate up to 200ft of earth or 59ft of reinforced concrete. No there is some debate on whether or not the bomb could penetrate far enough down to destroy Iran’s site at Fordow.
A mock-up of the GBU-57, shown in a B-2 Spirit simulator weapons loading training station At Whiteman AFB.
The Fordow Fuel Enrichment Plant (FFEP) also known as Shahid Ali Mohammadi Nuclear Facility is a partially underground, uranium enrichment facility that is located twenty miles North of the city of Qom. The base is mostly buried under a mountain making attacking the target difficult, maybe even impossible, even for the always impressive B-2 Spirit. It’s possible that cracking this nut could require the use of something less stealthy and more conventional. Possibly ground forces sent in to plant explosives. Either way the task of destroying the site gets harder every day that Israel (and the U.S.) wait. Iran has a chance to move the valuable scientists and equipment to another base, possibly the nuclear base Israel has an agreement with Russia not to attack because of a reported number of Russian scientists.
What are your thoughts? How should the Iranian nuclear base be handled?
Update.
Instead of being moved to a preposition thr B-2’s bombed three of Irans nuclear sites. Fordow, Natanz, and Esfahan were all struck.
In connection to the sudden large wave of aerial refueling tankers spotted leaving the continental US and heading East over the Atlantic and into Europe, the US has announced it is deploying several fighter squads into the Middle East.
According to reports the fighters have already left and likely have already arrived.
Statement released on social media from SECDEF Pete HegsethThe tankers as they left the US and headed across the Atlantic. Final landing position.
The tankers were previously spotted on the publicly available ADS-B where their location can be tracked so long as the military pilots leave it on. The capability to turn it off is included for missions of a more secret nature. The fact that the locations are turned on is an indication that US military leadership knows people are watching and is attempting to deter any potential enemy’s (Iran). Around 39 tankers total have left from the U.S. since July 15th.
Tankers location as of an hour ago.
The F-22 are reported to have been launched or are preparing to launch from Langley AOR force base in Virginia. Langley houses 3 F-22 squadrons, the 1st Fighter Wing and 192nd Fighter Wing. We don’t yet know if the F-22s have left yet but we do know that a l C-17 Globemaster III landed at RAF Mildenhall rhat had departed from Langley.
The C-17 Globemaster III that landed at RAF Mildenhall on Jun. 17, 2025
While the C-17 isnt a tanker these massive general cargo planes are used when a squadron or similar moves to a new location. It would be hauling weapons and some of the other administrative equipment needed. More of these flights are likely on the way.
The F-35’s are believed to be either the Vermont Air National Guard or the 48th FW at RAF Lakenheath, in the UK. The 48th is the only F-35 squadron currently foward deployed so their proximity means they would arrive much sooner and be available for mission tasking as soon as you can load them up.
I don’t have much more than that for now but it looking more likely that the U.S. is going to get involved in Israel and Irans fighting. Well more so than they already are. It’s a fact that Israel has already had US military support in this conflict but up until this point that support has been purely defensive. U.S. assets have assisted in downing drones and missiles coming from Iran.
Reuters put out an article about this as well, their writer claimed to have talked to 3 defense department officials, 2 of them stresses the defensive nature of sending these fighters.
I’ve reached out to several of the squadrons mentioned as well as the pentagon for a statement, however nobody has got back to me, I’ll update if they do.
One other thing I’ll mention is the rumor of f-16s also being moved to the Middle East out of Italy but I have less info on that.
The U.S. currently has around 40,000 soldiers in the Middle East. That’s combined everybody from air force to infantry and all the logistics and support crew jn between .
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Global Conflict Reporting 
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