US bombers to arrive in Britain within days ahead of critical Iran mission

The B-1 carries one of the largest conventional payloads in the US arsenal, including the ability to deploy up to 24 × 2,000-lb Mk-84 general-purpose bombs in a single sortie.

RAF Fairford can host dozens of American heavy bombers, including the B-52, B-1 and B-52.

President Trump has warned Iran to expect a renewed wave of devastating air strikes.

“We haven’t even started hitting them hard. The big wave hasn’t even happened. The big one is coming soon”, Mr Trump said on Monday.

On the fifth day of the war, an Iranian warship was targeted and sunk by an American submarine off the Sri Lankan coast.

The attack was said to have killed 87 people.

Nato is scrambling to protect its air defences in Turkey after a missile was launched from Iran towards the member nation.

The missile was believed to be heading for a military base with US forces.

The war, sparked by a wave of US-Israeli strikes last weekend, will last “several long weeks”, according to Israel.

Ballistic missile supplies are believed to be running low in Iran and the country’s ability to fire retaliatory strikes is continuing to deplete.

The US is also struggling to maintain a full-throttled offensive due to supply issues, according to the Wall Street Journal, reporting that precision weapons are quickly being burnt through.

Sir Keir Starmer confirmed on Sunday night he would allow the US to fly missions from RAF bases for “specific and limited defensive purposes” after initially resisting.

The Prime Minister previously cited international law when explaining his decision to deny Britain’s great ally.

The President told journalists in the Oval Office he was “not happy with the UK” over the decision, even firing a brutal swipe at Mr Starmer, saying he is “not Winston Churchill”.

Sir Keir has since hit back, suggesting the US President has no “viable” plan for his war in Iran.

He told MPs on Wednesday: “What I was not prepared to do on Saturday was for the UK to join a war unless I was satisfied there was a lawful basis and a viable, thought-through plan. That remains my position.”

RAF Akrotiri, a British military base on Cyprus, was struck by a drone on Sunday evening, causing minor damage.

A source said on Wednesday: “Based on the type of drone and its range and ability, defence intelligence can confirm that that drone was not launched from Iran.”

After requests from multiple countries in the region, British troops with experience working in Ukraine have deployed to the Middle East, it is understood.

“The first of the team arrived in the region yesterday, and the next group are arriving today,” a Western official told journalists on Wednesday.

The official added: “The first lot are Brits who have got experience working in Ukraine and with Ukrainians and they’ll be able to offer specialist advice, particularly on how they might layer the sensing, the warning and the targeting of the drones.”