THE US Air Force confirmed it has loaded its fighter jets with powerful 250-pound bombs and deployed them to the Middle East to serve as a clear message to Iran.
A squadron of A-10 Thunderbolt II aircraft — also known as “Warthogs” —have been equipped with the structure-penetrating payload.
Each attack aircraft is capable of carrying up to 16 bunker bombs.
According to the US military, the move will give pilots a better chance of deterring Iran by destroying ammunition bunkers.
It is the first time precision-guided weapons have been onboard the US warplanes made in response to increasing aggression from the Islamic Republic of Iran.
In addition, the Biden administration sanctioned Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps intelligence organization on Thursday, accusing it of “hostage-taking” and wrongfully detaining Americans.
The US sent the chilling message following reports that the Iranian Navy forced an American submarine to surface after trespassing in its territorial waters by silently entering through the Persian Gulf— a claim that the US has strongly denied.
