Air Force flies B-1B bomber over Mideast

The U.S. Air Force flew a B-1B strategic bomber with Israel over the Middle East above essential maritime chokepoints on Saturday, as relations between the U.S., its allies and Iran remain contentious with the Islamic Republic still not tied to a nuclear deal.

The U.S. Air Force revealed on Sunday that it flew a B-1B Lancer bomber above the Strait of Hormuz, which sees the passage of 20 percent of traded oil, according to The Associated Press. The aircraft also reportedly flew over the Red Sea, the Bab el-Mandeb Strait and the Suez Canal in Egypt.

Bahrain, Egypt and Saudi Arabia also flew fighter jets alongside the U.S. bomber, in addition to Israel, according to tweets from the U.S. Air Force Central Command.

Central Command said the flyover was “designed to send a clear message of reassurance across the region.”

#StrongerTogether! F-16s from the @BDF_Bahrain flew alongside a @usairforce B-1B in support of a #PresencePatrol mission Oct. 30. The mission is the fifth of its kind in 2021 and was designed to send a clear message of reassurance across the region.@AFGlobalStrike pic.twitter.com/ahjYfkFWZQ

— US AFCENT (@USAFCENT) October 30, 2021

A number of attacks on shipping in recent years, later blamed on Iran, have taken place at the Strait of Hormuz, and the Red Sea has been the scene of similar attacks as Tehran and Israel continue to spar, according to the news wire.

Iran has said it did not play a role in the attacks, but the country has said it will retaliate against Israel for attacking its nuclear program, the AP reported.

State media in Iran did not immediately report on the strategic bomber’s flyover, according to the news wire.

The U.S. under the Trump administration had reportedly deployed flights by nuclear-capable B-52 bombers in an effort to represent a show of force to Iran.

The flyover comes after Iran’s Deputy Foreign Minister Ali Bagheri announced last week that Iran will return to negotiations to resurrect the 2015 nuclear deal by the end of next month.

The announcement came after months of stalled talks between the U.S. and Iran.

In an interview that aired on Sunday, Secretary of State Antony Blinken said the U.S. and other countries are looking into “other options” to prepare for a situation where Iran is not prepared to negotiate in good faith.