Overview
- - Viral clips and defense-tracking posts showed B-52 Stratofortress bombers departing RAF Fairford on Tuesday, but the flights had not been verified by US or UK officials.
- - One B-52 reportedly developed engine trouble on the runway at RAF Fairford while another took off, according to local reporting from the base.
- - President Trump set an 8 p.m. Eastern deadline for Iran to reopen the Strait of Hormuz, warning in a Truth Social post that catastrophic consequences could follow noncompliance.
- - Estimates put the bombers’ flight time from the UK to the Gulf at about seven hours, a window that fueled speculation they could reach striking range by the deadline.
- - Iran threatened retaliation against US partners as reports described strikes on bridges, transport links, an airport and the Kharg Island oil hub, even as an Iranian official told Reuters that messages were still moving through mediators.