The US Air Force said Sunday it flew a B-1B strategic bomber over key maritime chokepoints in the Mideast with allies including Israel amid ongoing tensions with Iran as its nuclear deal with world powers remains in tatters.
The B-1B Lancer bomber flew Saturday over the Strait of Hormuz, the narrow mouth of the Arabian Gulf through which 20% of all oil traded passes. It also flew over the Red Sea, its narrow Bab el-Mandeb Strait and Egypt's Suez Canal.
The Strait of Hormuz has been the scene of attacks on shipping blamed on Iran in recent years, while the Red Sea has seen similar assaults amid an ongoing shadow war between Tehran and Israel. Tehran has denied being involved in the attacks, though it has promised to take revenge on Israel for a series of attacks targeting its nuclear program.
Iranian state media did not immediately acknowledge the flyover. Iran's mission to the United Nations in New York did not immediately respond to a request for comment, AFP reported.
The flyover comes after a pattern of such flights by nuclear-capable B-52 bombers since the Trump administration as a show of force to Iran.
Trump in 2018 unilaterally withdrew America from Iran's 2015 nuclear deal, which saw Tehran agree to drastically limit its enrichment of uranium in exchange for the lifting of economic sanctions.
