US B-52 bombers land in Qatar over unspecified Iran threat
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B-52 bombers ordered by the White House to deploy to the Persian Gulf to counter unspecified threats from Iran have arrived at a major American air base in Qatar, the US Air Force acknowledged Friday.
Images released by the US Air Force’s Central Command show B-52H Stratofortress bombers arriving at Al Udeid Air Base in Qatar on Thursday night.
Others landed at an undisclosed location Wednesday in “southwest Asia,” the Air Force said. The US military in the past has described its presence at both the Al Dhafra Air Base in the United Arab Emirates and Al Udeid as “southwest Asia.”
The Air Force identified the aircraft as coming from the 20th Bomb Squadron of Barksdale Air Force Base in Louisiana.
On Sunday, the White House announced it would send the USS Abraham Lincoln aircraft carrier strike group and the bombers into the Persian Gulf to counter Tehran. The Lincoln on Thursday passed through the Suez Canal on its way to the Persian Gulf.
The administration of President Donald Trump has not offered specific details of the threat allegedly presented by Iran.
On Wednesday, Iran announced it would begin backing away from its nuclear deal with world powers, a year after Trump pulled America from the accord. President Hassan Rouhani gave European leaders a 60-day deadline to find a way to shield Iran from U.S. sanctions targeting its economy and oil industry, otherwise he said Tehran would begin to enrich uranium at levels closer to weapons-grade levels.
The European Union on Thursday urged Iran to respect the international agreement curbing the Islamic Republic’s nuclear ambitions, and added that the bloc aims to continue trading with the country despite U.S. sanctions. But so far, the EU and its member nations have not offered any new plans.
For his part, Trump said he wanted to speak to Iran’s leaders.
“What I would like to see with Iran, I would like to see them call me,” Trump told reporters Thursday at the White House.
There was no immediate reaction from Iran, which in the past has said it turned down Trump’s requests for meetings.
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Comments (70) Closed
May 10, 2019 02:46pm
Empty vessels always make much noise.
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May 10, 2019 02:52pm
Any troubleshooter in our part of the world should be punished collectively through diplomatic & economic boycott...
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May 10, 2019 03:22pm
Game of nerve being played by two impudent reckless leaders. Never considering the consequences of their stupidity.
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May 10, 2019 03:24pm
Qatar only survived from Saudi Blockade because of Iran. How can they turn their back so soon
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May 10, 2019 03:29pm
Iran is a threat to no one. It's the West that's the real threat to the world.
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May 10, 2019 03:37pm
Not a good sign. The confrontation between Iran and US shall have adverse effect on the whole region in terms of colossal lose of human life and financial damages.
Better to come to the table of compromise by honoring the interests of both countries.
A conflict ends when the people at its Centre look over the precipice and recognize that compromise is a life or death imperative.
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May 10, 2019 03:39pm
What will the kingdom make of this?
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May 10, 2019 03:50pm
Let us keep hoping against hope that sanity will finally prevail and Mr. Trump and his subordinates in the U.S.A. won't take the world down the edge of the precipice as appears to be the case.
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May 10, 2019 03:58pm
US already started a war in Afghanistan, Iraq and now it is threatening Iran. It is starting fires in the region.
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May 10, 2019 04:41pm
Trump wants to win second term for President of USA. All politicians are alike including starting wars or military strikes on the weak, to score a political point.
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May 10, 2019 05:06pm
So, Israel can have nukes, but not Iran ? Why.......isn't this a double standard, not only by USA but also from all her allies.....I say, go Iran, make your nukes.
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May 10, 2019 05:32pm
Qatar must stay away from all this. Nobody should support this sort of provocation.
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May 10, 2019 05:35pm
Good move.
Iran most change its behavior in middle east.
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May 10, 2019 06:28pm
USA should withdraw completely from middle east.
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May 10, 2019 06:48pm
Trump trying to mske this world unsafe place to live.
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May 10, 2019 07:15pm
Empty vessels make much noise.
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May 10, 2019 07:16pm
@Aqil Siddiqi , Bad advice. Never ever talk on nuke. Its against humanity.
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May 10, 2019 07:18pm
@Aqil Siddiqi ,
Israel is not a signatory of NPT but Iran is. So it is not double standard. Only countries that have exploded Nuclear weapons before 1 January 1967 can be consider as Nuclear weapon state, as of now. Iran accepted that and moved towards US camp.
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May 10, 2019 07:25pm
@Zak, add Syria, Libya, and Egypt to the list.
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May 10, 2019 07:26pm
@Ali, you assume that Qatar had a choice to make?
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May 10, 2019 07:33pm
@Zak, it is threatening a weakened and economically poor Iran. This is how and when the US fights.
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May 10, 2019 07:42pm
US submarines are the biggest threat.
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May 10, 2019 08:36pm
Are Saudis for or against this move?
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May 10, 2019 08:57pm
Election coming Trump need something to win... Loser will be middle east... again.
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May 10, 2019 09:16pm
Saudi,UAE wants USA to attack Iran..
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May 10, 2019 09:17pm
@Dr. Salaria, Aamir Ahmad, sir B52 is not an empty vessel but you come across as one.
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May 10, 2019 09:29pm
@Eddie , it’s a threat to us
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May 10, 2019 09:37pm
Saudis will foot the bill for this blatant aggression against a Muslim country.
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May 10, 2019 09:57pm
@Nusrat,
Now we know you support Amercia and Isreal.
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May 10, 2019 10:36pm
Iran is next in line after Iraq, Libya, Afghanistan and Syria.
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May 10, 2019 10:45pm
It would appear that the USA has conflicts in the Far East, Middle East and South America with Europe soon to follow, it will all end in tears.
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May 10, 2019 11:06pm
Does Trump knows he will have to fight on ground not on Tweeter? What a repeated insane move
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May 10, 2019 11:28pm
Interesting that Qatar is an Iran Ally that does not see eye to eye with the Saudi, UAE camp.
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May 10, 2019 11:29pm
These Americans devastated Iraq, Libya in the name of wmd and dictatorship and cared a damn of the rest of the world and left those countries in much worst condition than they were, now looking into Iran and want to play the devastating game again.
It’s only for oil to American companies. Why they are not taking similar actions for North Korea? Because there is not much resource to steal.
Sooner the USA collapse better for the whole world.
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May 10, 2019 11:49pm
Something is brewing over there. Not a good sign for the region, it has suffered enough in recent conflicts.
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May 11, 2019 12:09am
Age of blackmail by sending B52 are long gone.These kind of open threats have no value-add to already diminished international image of America under Trump.
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May 11, 2019 12:10am
Here is my analysis
Is Iran threat to US and West
No
Is Iran threat to Israel?
yes
Does Israel need US help to defend himself?
no.
Then why US is bullying Iran -
supper power has to show muscles to intimidate other countries.
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May 11, 2019 12:16am
If the US fights with both arms there will be nothing left of the opposite camps. There is still restrain when the US fights. Iran has world war vintage army.
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May 11, 2019 12:34am
The Israeli PM has finally gotten his wish thru Trump. Bad idea.
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May 11, 2019 12:35am
@Dr. Salaria, Aamir Ahmad, If you have any clue to what Israel is capable of, what Trump can do within minutes, you wouldn't make such comments, this is actually a very scary situation, get eduated doctor sahib, anyone can make comments
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May 11, 2019 01:10am
The US aside for looking out for its own interest, which every nation does, also does the dirty work for other nations. Countering Iran is due to pressure for KSA and Israel.
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May 11, 2019 01:23am
@Nand, is India for or against this move.
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May 11, 2019 01:24am
The US will start by bombing Chabar port. It was a lost cause anyway.
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May 11, 2019 01:27am
@fairplay, I was meaning ' US boots on the ground'. But you are right, specially after watching US General Wesley Clark on YouTube listing the nations to be taken down by US long before it happened.
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May 11, 2019 01:28am
@Gypsy, The base is leased so Qatar has no say.
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May 11, 2019 01:29am
@fairplay, That's what they thought of Afghanistan, seventeen years later, they are begging Pakistan to get it out.
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May 11, 2019 01:58am
The whole US naval fleet including aircraft carriers have already arrived in the friendly waters near Iranian sea. Now they have landed their bombers in Qatar. I believe they are trying to impose blockade on Iran. This will most likely will destroy Iran's ability to supply oil through sea. It will also mean the end of Chabahar port and India can no longer import oil from India. Get ready for high oil prices in India now that India will import oil from other gulf countries.
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May 11, 2019 02:05am
The day these Arabs stop being the slaves of USA, the Middle East would become a peaceful place.
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May 11, 2019 02:24am
What does Iran have to lose by turning down requested talks by the US President, especially after they threaten to close the Persian gulf? Hopefully calmer minds will prevail.
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May 11, 2019 02:31am
@Gypsy,
Because Iran has threatened to close the Straits of Hormuz. That means that any country along the entire Persian gulf world have access to the seas denied by Iran. That would hurt Qatar.
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May 11, 2019 02:38am
@Justice ,
The kingdom is itself under threat by Iran.
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May 11, 2019 02:40am
@Zak, More like, putting fires out for decades.
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May 11, 2019 02:47am
This is pure bullying from US. Iran was abiding by the deal. Threats from US are totally unnecessary. US has lost the war in Afghanistan and want to divert world’s attention from its failures and start another front just to appease Israel. Iran has a strong army, though less equipped as US, but the country is united. US will have a tough time if they start a war with Iran.
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May 11, 2019 03:05am
@Maboob Saleem,
The aircraft carrier fleet is just a visible deterrent (gunboat diplomacy) to Iranian threats to close the strait of Hormuz. A submarine, half a world away, under the polar icecap is actually a greater threat to Iranian aggression. Let’s hope it never has to break the surface, because it’s far more dangerous.
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May 11, 2019 03:23am
@fairplay,
Qatar doesn’t actually have the military might to keep Iran from closing the strait of Hormuz, as it has threatened to do. That’s not just a threat to the countries that would be locked in the Persian gulf, but a threat to any nation that trades with them, and to their economies. You have to consider all the variables, and not make assumptions based solely on emotions. If you want someone else to police the worlds sea lanes, then please find them, because nobody is footing the bill for the job, but the US taxpayers. Remember to think with logic, not emotions, before complaining, because I can defeat any emotional argument you come up with. Peace brother.
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May 11, 2019 05:15am
Divide and sell...male billions in profit
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May 11, 2019 06:12am
Ahmed bin Babar - please look up Trouble shooter in dictionary.
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May 11, 2019 08:22am
These are double standards of western leaser to allow Israel to have nukes but not Iran.
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May 11, 2019 08:32am
It is time for Europe, Russia and China to workout to help Iran to export oil and avoid enrichment of weapon grade uranium.
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May 11, 2019 08:55am
Unspecified targets, Assumed Targets, Unassumed targets, CIA briefings. Pentagon reports. These are the basis on which US goes to war and have engaged in it as quoted my Jimmy Carter That US have been at war in most of its 242 years of independence and have remained only 16 years in total peace.
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May 11, 2019 11:27am
@Qbc, Me too!
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May 11, 2019 12:00pm
These are dangerous times. If Iran ups the ante and tries to blockade the Strait of Hormuz, there could touble.
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May 11, 2019 05:58pm
saudi aramco need more profit that's why they creating unnecessary problems with Iran
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May 11, 2019 06:55pm
@Dr. Salaria, Aamir Ahmad, That’s what Saddam, Gaddafi and Osama said about USA.
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May 11, 2019 09:16pm
@Tzaman, There is only one doing all the works.
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May 12, 2019 03:26am
@Dr. Salaria, Aamir Ahmad, Yes, until they reach you
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May 12, 2019 03:28am
@Prateik
request?
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May 12, 2019 03:44am
@Tzaman, It is not Trump wanting wars all over but his hands are tied.... Bolton needs neutered
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May 12, 2019 08:45pm
The Iranian threat is America threatening Iran. Iran has not attacked another country in over 25 years... How many countries has America attacked in the last 25 years????? Too many
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May 13, 2019 10:55pm
Hope better sense will prevail. Oil prices will shoot up OPEC & USA will benefit
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