U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) announced on Tuesday that the Ninth Air Force will conduct a “multi-day readiness exercise” in the Middle East to “demonstrate the ability to deploy, disperse, and sustain combat airpower.” One place they could soon be called upon to disperse airpower is Iran.
CENTCOM did not specifically mention Iran in its announcement, saying only that the exercise would help to “strengthen regional partnerships” and “prepare for flexible response execution.”
“It will serve as a way for AFCENT (Air Force Central) to validate procedures for rapid movement of personnel and aircraft; dispersed operations at contingency locations; logistics sustainment with a minimal footprint; and integrated, multi-national command and control over a large area of operations,” the announcement said.
“Our Airmen are proving they can disperse, operate, and generate combat sorties under demanding conditions — safely, precisely, and alongside our partners. This is about upholding our commitment to maintaining combat-ready Airmen and the disciplined execution required to keep airpower available when and where it’s needed,” said AFCENT commander Lt. Gen. Derek France.
The National noted on Tuesday that the U.S. “has been shoring up its military posture in the Middle East as it trades bellicose rhetoric with Iran.”
President Donald Trump has indicated several times over the past week that Iran must “make a deal” on dismantling its nuclear weapon program or face the power of an “armada” that includes the aircraft carrier USS Abraham Lincoln. Iran insists its forces are at the “highest level of defensive preparedness” and will ‘crush any aggression.”
“Time is running out, it is truly of the essence! As I told Iran once before, MAKE A DEAL! They didn’t, and there was ‘Operation Midnight Hammer,’ a major destruction of Iran. The next attack will be far worse!” Trump said on Truth Social on Wednesday.
Operation Midnight Hammer was the U.S. air attack in June that destroyed Iran’s three major uranium enrichment sites. Trump also suggested that Iran could face a more sudden and devastating attack than the U.S. operation this month that captured narco-terrorist dictator Nicolás Maduro of Venezuela.
Ali Shamkhani, a senior adviser to Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, said on Wednesday that any American military action would be “considered the start of war” and Iran’s response would be “immediate, all-out, and unprecedented, targeting the heart of Tel Aviv and all supporters of the aggressor.”
Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman (MBS) reportedly assured Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian in a phone call on Tuesday that Saudi Arabia would not allow its bases or airspace to be used for an attack on Iran. The United Arab Emirates (UAE) made a similar promise in a statement on Monday.
