American B-1B bomber flies over Mideast amid Iran tensions

[Omaha Steve]

Source: AP

By JON GAMBRELL

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — The U.S. 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 Persian 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. The Islamic Republic 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.

Fighter jets from Bahrain, Egypt, Israel and Saudi Arabia flew alongside the bomber.



In this photo released by the U.S. Air Force, an Israeli Air Force F-15 Strike Eagle flies in formation with a U.S. Air Force B-1B Lancer over Israel as part of a deterrence flight Saturday, Oct. 30, 2021. The U.S. 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. (U.S. Air Force/Senior Airman Jerreht Harris via AP)


Read more: https://apnews.com/article/africa-iran-israel-egypt-middle-east-b88f8ce6747fcb420ecea3e09ed856dd

[Tetrachloride]

1. The Red Sea geography

The Red Sea in on the southwest of Saudi Arabia. It is the division between Asia and Africa along with the Suez Canal, loosely speaking.

The Red Sea is 1400 miles long.

The wiki page has a nice map.

There is a narrow opening at the southeast to the India Ocean. Yemen and Somalia are there so its quite a dramatic location.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Red_Sea

[Tetrachloride]

2. The Persian Gulf geography

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Persian_Gulf

Its a twisty water route from Kuwait in the west, heading to open ocean at Iran.

The Straits of Hormuz are the narrow part.

[Tetrachloride]

3. The hot spots: Sudan, Ethiopia, Yemen, Iran, Lebanon, north Iraq

The Mediterranean and North Africa is abbreviated as MENA and is the area i am more familiar with.

The Persian Gulf and the rest of Africa, not much.

I may have missed some hot spots.

[Alexander Of Assyria]

4. American military hypocrisy also took flight. Ok for America...not ok for China...ya see?

Guess the Generals and the Corporate Media feeling tad sad over no more wars.

And ofc America owns the world so can fly wherever it wants, right?

[denbot]

6. No, China is claiming shoals are Chinese territory, along with 100's of miles of seaways & minerals.

Not the same, we are not trying to deny international access by claiming one of the hundreds of small
semi-submerged rocks in the Straights of Hormuz, Red Sea or Persian Gulf are American territory along with hundreds of mile in the surrounding sea and air space are the sole property of the US with the right of the to deny all other nations free passage.

[Alexander Of Assyria]

7. Imperialism is always the same.

[denbot]

8. LoL, yeah, what eves..

[EX500rider]

24. Yes Chinese imperialism does seem the same

[paleotn]

11. Wha??!!

With permission and / or in international airspace, yes, we can. And so can China and Russia, the UK, France, Denmark and......

Enforcing freedom of the sea, that benefits everyone, versus stealing a big chunk of the South China Sea and calling it "greater China" just because you can are not the same thing. They're not even close to the same thing. In fact, they're light years apart. Geezzz!

[Alexander Of Assyria]

15. Who made America enforcer of maritime law!? Or world police?

[Deuce]

18. Yep...

[hack89]

19. Who else can stop China?

Are we to simply let them illegally claim other countries territories and riches?

[Alexander Of Assyria]

21. My question is...if America turns fascist who will stop America?

Claim versus possession are not the same. Lots of nations claim territory they do not possess.

[hack89]

22. But they are possessing

they created artificial islands to claim territorial seas. They then send armed ships to strong arm other nation's fishing boats out of those waters. There is nothing theoretical about what they are doing. They are using force and coercion.

[EX500rider]

25. The US relies on overseas trade, therefore we have a interest in freedom of the seas. nt

[sarisataka]

16. Where do we deny

China the right to pass through international sea/air space?

[Devil Child]

17. Yes n/t

[Sancho]

5. The F-15 looks like it needs a bath...

[Irish_Dem]

9. Yikes, it is filthy, take it through a car wash right now.

The Air Force used to keep aircraft clean.

[ripcord]

13. Those are not U.S. marking on that aircraft

[Irish_Dem]

14. Duh you are right. I should know better.

[tonekat]

10. That's the Israeli F-15

I wondered if it was their desert camo?

[paleotn]

12. Skin friction drag....

but with monster engines it may not mean much. Airedales may know better, but my training from way back in the day comes to mind....if your work place looks like shit, where else are you cutting corners? Wash the damn planes. Or not. Whatever.

[LudwigPastorius]

20. This is a little stick before the carrot is offered.

The U.S. will rejoin the Iran nuclear deal under Biden.

[hack89]

23. Link with more details including maps and photos

https://www.thedrive.com/the-war-zone/42945/striking-images-from-a-b-1b-bombers-recent-circumnavigation-of-the-arabian-peninsula