"You don't spin up this kind of skyward muscle just to flex," said one observer.

Brett Wilkins Jun 16, 2025

Flight-tracking websites showed dozens of Air Force aerial refueling planes departing from military bases in the United States and heading to Europe on Sunday, fueling speculation of direct U.S. involvement in the widening Israeli-Iranian war.

Military-focused news sites reported that around 30 U.S. Air Force KC-135R and KC-46A tankers were identified by flight-tracking software in what The Times of Israelcalled an “unprecedented mass deployment” to Europe.

  • mctoasterson@reddthat.comEnglish
    8·
    23 days ago

    Armchair theory is that the US large platform bombers will be used to credibly threaten repeated bunker buster hits on Fordow nuclear site. This could pressure Iran to surrender its entire nuclear program including that site.

    Currently Israel doesn’t have the capability by itself to destroy the site but US bombers possibly could.

      • mctoasterson@reddthat.comEnglish
        1·
        23 days ago

        I explained it poorly but the other half of the threat is “we have complete air superiority so we can strike your leadership itself any time they stick their heads out of their bunkers” or “we can destroy your oil fields and tank your economy at any point” etc.

        Iran has very few chips left to play with considering they have zero air defenses at the moment. I predict they will be forced to surrender their entire nuclear program or they will face a decapitation attack and destruction of their entire refinement capability and military apparatus.