Clearest sign yet Trump is preparing to blitz Iran as huge US air armada of DOZENS of military jets lands in UK & Europe
THE US Air Force has surged more than 40 extra jets into the UK and Europe – including stealth fighter bombers and air to air refuellers – amid fears it will strike Iran.
The move is the clearest sign yet that US President Donald Trump is preparing to blitz the country after
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Footage shows one of the four KC-135 Stratotankers landing at Glasgow Prestwick Airport on Monday
Credit: YouTube/Daniel Sander
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Dozens of US Air Force aircraft, mostly KC-46A Pegasus and KC-135 Stratotankers, that left the US last night are starting to reach Europe
Credit: FlightRadar24/X
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Iran State Radio and Television (IRIB) building was smoking after a direct Israeli strike
Credit: REXNEWS
At least 30 large air-to-air refuellers swooped across the Atlantic this week followed by at least a dozen F-22 Raptors and F-35
Lightning
jets.
The USS Nimitz aircraft carrier is also
The US President has already warned the "full strength and might" of the military would be used if America was attacked.
Dozens of USAF KC-135 Stratotanker refuelers and KC-46 Pegagus tankers swooped into bases in Scotland, Germany, Spain and Crete.
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At least four KC-135 Stratotankers landed at
Glasgow
Prestwick Airport on Monday.
Hours later the Pentagon scrambled at least a dozen F-22 and F-35 fighter bombers to reinforce troops in Europe and the Middle East.
The KC-135s and KC-46s are designed to refuel fighter jets so they can stay airborne for longer and fly further to hit targets.
Experts said the F-22s and F-35s would most likely be used to bolster Israel's air defence amid fears Tel Aviv cold run low in its Iron Dome and interceptor missiles.
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But there are fears the fighter bombers could also be used to strike targets inside
Iran
.
US Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth said he had ordered 'the deployment of additional capabilities' to the Middle East amid spiralling fears of World War Three.
Iran provoking Trump would be grave mistake - Israel is doing world a favour
But he insisted their role was 'defensive'.
He said: 'Protecting US forces is our top priority and these deployments are intended to enhance our defensive posture in the region.'
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Jets also landed in
Italy
and Estonia, as well as Scotland,
Spain
and Crete.
American ships have also been used to defend against Iranian missiles aimed at Israel, alongside ground-based interceptors, US officials revealed to
It came as a US defence official said: 'Consistent with the duty to protect US forces in the Middle East, Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth directed the Nimitz Carrier Strike Group to the U.S. Central Command are of responsibility to sustain our defensive posture and safeguard American personnel.
'In the U.S. European Command area of operations the U.S. Navy continues to conduct operations in the Eastern Mediterranean in support of US national security objectives.'
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A mere few hours ago it was revealed that the
The hulking $4.5billion nuclear-powered supercarrier, nicknamed Old Salt, is the flagship of the deadly Carrier Strike Group 11.
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Trump gestures after returning early from the G7 Leaders' Summit in Canada
Credit: Reuters
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A defence source said their most likely role would be to intercept missiles fired at Israel if Tel Aviv runs out of air defence missiles
Credit: FlightRadar24/X
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Dozens of USAF KC-135 Stratotanker refuelers as well as KC-46 Pegagus tankers swooped into bases in Scotland, Germany, Spain and Crete
Credit: Youtube
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The Pegasus jets and Stratotankers are designed to refuel fighter jets in mid-air
Credit: Jordan Castelan
The strike group includes Carrier Air Wing Seventeen and Destroyer Squadron Nine - a potent combination of military hardware that will strike fear into Iran.
The Nimitz left the South
China
Sea Monday morning heading west towards the Middle East, where it will be stationed.
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The USS Nimitz will provide a major boost to
US military
presence in the region.
And The Sun knows first hand of the true might of this awesome 100,000 ton warship.
Trump has also
He has also urged Tehran to evacuate "everyone".
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Israel
's ambassador also hinted at something big on the horizon - promising lethal "surprises" on Thursday that would dwarf its operations to date.
As Trump rushed back meet his National Security Council, he vowed he was chasing something "better than a ceasefire", which will force Iran into a "complete give up".
He refused to specify the endgame, but ominously warned: "You're going to find out over the next two days."
Trump's prophecy coincides with one from the Israeli ambassador Yechiel Leiter, who said: "We've pulled off a number of surprises.
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The final destination is unknown
Credit: FlightRadar24/X
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The aircraft carrier USS Nimitz is heading for the Middle East
Credit: AFP
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A missile streaking over Jerusalem as sirens rang out
Credit: EPA
"When the dust settles, you're going to see some surprises on Thursday night and Friday that will make the beeper operation almost seem simple."
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He was referring to Israel's incredible operation to detonate explosives planted in thousands of pagers owned by Hezbollah members in Lebanon.
Trump dramatically
Israel and Iran continue to trade missiles for a fifth day, with Tehran's civilians fleeing the city in their thousands and a handful of casualties reported by Tel Aviv.
The IDF said it has
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Iran claimed today it had hit the HQ of Israel's intelligence agency Mossad - though this has not been confirmed - and repeatedly warned of stepping up missile and drone attacks.
Israel reported this morning that around 30 missiles were involved in Iran's latest wave.
Read more on the Irish Sun
Tension across the Middle East is now skyrocketing as the conflict threatens to spiral into a wider regional war after Pakistan called for the Islamic world to back Iran.
Islamabad even warned they will nuke Israel, a senior Iranian general claimed.
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Sun's trip onboard USS Nimitz
By
AS America sends the flagship USS Nimitz supercarrier to the Middle East amid rising tensions, the Sun reveals what life is like onboard.
The Sun spent two days on board the Nimitz, nicknamed Old Salt, a $4.5billion nuclear-powered supercarrier weighing almost 100,000 tons.
The warship is 1,092ft long and 252ft wide and has a four and a half acre flight deck.
The massive 117,000 sq ft warship boasts four aircraft catapults and jets are brought up to the deck using four giant elevators from the hangar deep below the 4.5 acre flight deck.
The supercarrier, the flagship of Carrier Strike Group 11, holds F/A-18 Super Hornets, EA-18G Growlers and F-35C stealth strike fighters.
Inside the ten floor, 3,000 room hull underneath the flight deck life is one slick operation.
There are several cafeterias, gyms, a Starbucks coffee shop and 'luxury' state rooms for 'Distinguished Visitors'.
Since it is nuclear-powered, the Nimitz – call sign NMTZ - can operate for up to 20 years without refueling.
The Nimitz is the world's second largest supercarrier, only behind the Gerald R Ford.
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The Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC) Ghadir site in Tehran has been obliterated by Israel in recent days
Credit: AFP
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The roads out of Tehran were jammed with cars as Trump ordered the city to evacuate
Credit: Reuters
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Irish Examiner
39 minutes ago
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Trump warns Tehran as agency says strikes damage Iran's underground nuclear site
Israel has pounded Iran for a fifth day in an air campaign against its longstanding enemy's military and nuclear programme. The air strikes came as President Donald Trump warned residents of Tehran to evacuate and suggested the US was working on something 'better than a ceasefire'. Mr Trump left the G7 summit in Canada a day early to deal with the conflict between Israel and Iran, telling reporters on Air Force One during the flight back to Washington: 'I'm not looking at a ceasefire. We're looking at better than a ceasefire.' I'm not too much in the mood to negotiate When asked to explain, he said the US wanted to see 'a real end' to the conflict that could involve Iran 'giving up entirely'. He added: 'I'm not too much in the mood to negotiate.' Mr Trump's cryptic messages added to the uncertainty in the region as residents of Tehran fled their homes in droves and the UN nuclear watchdog for the first time said Israeli strikes on Iran's main enrichment facility at Natanz had also damaged its underground section, and not just the surface area. Israel says its sweeping assault on Iran's top military leaders, nuclear scientists, uranium enrichment sites and ballistic missile programme is necessary to prevent its adversary from getting any closer to building an atomic weapon. The strikes have killed at least 224 people in Iran. Iran has retaliated by launching more than 370 missiles and hundreds of drones at Israel. So far, 24 people have been killed in Israel. The Israeli military said a new barrage of missiles was launched on Tuesday. The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) said on Tuesday it believes that Israel's first aerial attacks on Iran's Natanz enrichment site had 'direct impacts' on the facility's underground centrifuge halls. 'Based on continued analysis of high-resolution satellite imagery collected after Friday's attacks, the IAEA has identified additional elements that indicate direct impacts on the underground enrichment halls at Natanz,' the watchdog said. Located 135 miles south-east of Tehran, the Natanz facility was protected by anti-aircraft batteries, fencing and Iran's paramilitary Revolutionary Guard. Iran: Based on continued analysis of high resolution satellite imagery collected after Friday's attacks, the IAEA has identified additional elements that indicate direct impacts on the underground enrichment halls at Natanz. No change to report at Esfahan and Fordow. — IAEA - International Atomic Energy Agency ⚛️ (@iaeaorg) June 17, 2025 The underground part of the facility is buried to protect it from air strikes and contains the bulk of the enrichment facilities at Natanz, with 10,000 centrifuges that enrich uranium up to 5%, experts assess. The IAEA had earlier reported that Israeli strikes had destroyed an above-ground enrichment hall at Natanz and knocked out electrical equipment that powered the facility. However, most of Iran's enrichment takes place underground. Although Israel has struck Natanz repeatedly and claims to have inflicted significant damage on its underground facilities, Tuesday's IAEA statement marked the first time the agency has acknowledged impacts at the site. Iran maintains its nuclear programme is peaceful. While Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu claimed on Tuesday that Israeli strikes on Iran's nuclear sites have set the country's nuclear programme back a 'very, very long time', Israel has not been able to reach Iran's Fordo uranium enrichment facility, which is buried deep underground. Echoing an earlier Israeli military call for some 330,000 residents of a neighbourhood in downtown Tehran to evacuate, Mr Trump on Tuesday warned on social media that 'everyone should immediately evacuate Tehran!'. Israeli security forces inspect a site hit by a missile launched from Iran (Baz Ratner/AP) Tehran is one of the largest cities in the Middle East, with around 10 million people, roughly equivalent to the entire population of Israel. People have been fleeing since hostilities began. Asked why he had urged for the evacuation of Tehran, Mr Trump said: 'I just want people to be safe.' Downtown Tehran appeared to be emptying out early Tuesday, with many shops closed. 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Iran has named other generals to replace the top leaders of the guard and the regular armed forces after they were killed in earlier strikes. Firefighters work at a site in central Israel hit by a missile launched from Iran (Baz Ratner/AP) Before leaving the summit in Canada, Mr Trump joined the other leaders in a joint statement saying Iran 'can never have a nuclear weapon' and calling for a 'de-escalation of hostilities in the Middle East, including a ceasefire in Gaza'. French President Emmanuel Macron told reporters that discussions were under way on a ceasefire between Israel and Iran, but Mr Trump appeared to shoot that down in his comments on social media. Mr Macron 'mistakenly said that I left the G7 Summit, in Canada, to go back to D.C. to work on a 'cease fire' between Israel and Iran', Mr Trump wrote. 'Wrong! He has no idea why I am now on my way to Washington, but it certainly has nothing to do with a Cease Fire. Much bigger than that.' Mr Trump said he was not ready to give up on diplomatic talks, and could send vice president JD Vance and special envoy Steve Witkoff to meet the Iranians. 'I may,' he said. 'It depends on what happens when I get back.' Israeli military spokesperson Brig Gen Effie Defrin said on Monday his country's forces had 'achieved full aerial superiority over Tehran's skies'. The military said it destroyed more than 120 surface-to-surface missile launchers in central Iran, a third of Iran's total, including multiple launchers just before they launched ballistic missiles towards Israel. It also destroyed two F-14 fighter planes that Iran used to target Israeli aircraft, the military said. Israeli military officials also said fighter jets had struck 10 command centres in Tehran belonging to Iran's Quds Force, an elite arm of its paramilitary Revolutionary Guard that conducts military and intelligence operations outside Iran. 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RTÉ News
41 minutes ago
- RTÉ News
US retail sales fall sharply in May
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Irish Examiner
an hour ago
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