Iran’s top military leaders are reportedly exploring the possibility of a pre-emptive strike against Diego Garcia, the massive U.S. base in a remote corner of the Indian Ocean, where around one-third of America’s B-2 “Stealth” bombers are currently deployed.
The presence of the advanced $2-billion warplanes on the US-British military base comes as President Donald Trump has stepped up his dire threats to Iran, warning it not to continue with its nuclear programme.
Seven bombers have been flown into Diego Garcia, with Trump warning that if Iran doesn’t make a deal, “there will be bombing. It will be bombing—the likes of which they have never seen before.”
The US has a total of about 20 B-2 bombers, so bringing such a large number of aircraft to Diego Garcia could indicate that the U.S. intends to attack both Iran and the Iran-backed Houthis in Yemen. Alternatively, it serves as a powerful warning to Iran, meant to intimidate its leaders.
The B-2 bombers are known as the “ghosts of the sky” because they can slip past the most sophisticated air defences.
“This deployment is a clear signal to Iran,” said CNN analyst Cedric Leighton, a retired U.S. Air Force colonel. “It could be a direct warning to halt support for the Houthis in Yemen or a way for the Trump administration to pressure Tehran into negotiating a new nuclear agreement.”
A senior Iranian official told The Telegraph, London, that military commanders have been asked to target the joint UK-US base in an attempt to deter an attack on Iran. Some Iranian leaders suggest that even a token attack on Diego Garcia would demonstrate that the Americans cannot attack them without suffering consequences.
One Iranian official told The Telegraph, London, “Some are suggesting that missiles be fired towards the island—not with the intent to hit anything, but to fall into the water—to send a clear message to the Americans that we are serious.”
Until recently, Diego Garcia’s remote location was thought to make it invulnerable to enemy attack. It is located in the middle of the Indian Ocean, approximately 1,960km southwest of Thiruvananthapuram and 3,500km east of Tanzania.
The shortest distance between Iran and Diego Garcia is an enormous 3,795km. B-2 bombers can cover this distance with the aid of the six KC-135 tankers parked on the Diego Garcia airfield’s apron, which provide mid-air refuelling.
The US Air Force has only 20 stealth bombers, meaning that between 20 and 35 per cent of the entire fleet is now forward-deployed in the Indian Ocean, according to The War Zone (TWZ), a respected military affairs website. Since only a portion of the B-2 fleet is available for operational use at any one time due to maintenance and other factors, this represents an even higher percentage of the bombers that the air force has available for missions.
The B-2s pose a significant threat to Iran and its nuclear programme, as they are capable of penetrating deep inside hostile territory to conduct precision strikes against hardened and deeply buried facilities. The B-2 is the only US aircraft capable of deploying 30,000-pound bunker-buster bombs, TWZ said.
US authorities believe Iran does not currently have nuclear weapons, but they estimate that it could take just weeks or days for Iran to produce the required fissile material.
B-2 bombers were deployed in precision strikes against the Houthis in October 2024. The bombers took off from Whiteman Air Force Base in Missouri, targeting five hardened underground weapons storage facilities in Houthi-controlled areas of Yemen.
A Whiteman Air Force Base press release stated that the bombers were equipped with 30,000-pound bunker-buster bombs capable of piercing even the thickest armour.
Once considered beyond the reach of US adversaries, Diego Garcia may no longer be untouchable due to advances in military technology. TWZ notes that Iran possesses a “sea base” warship, the Shahid Mahdavi, “a converted container ship from which missiles and drones can be launched.” Iran has a history of using converted cargo vessels as “motherships” for covert attacks, TWZ said.
Iranian ships could seek to overwhelm any defences on Diego Garcia by launching large-volume drone and missile attacks, TWZ reported. It noted that Iran used similar tactics against Israel twice last year, “which required significant US, Israeli, and other foreign forces to help blunt” the attacks. TWZ also warned that losing even one B-2 to a “low-end drone attack would be a massive hit to America’s standing strategic capabilities.”
A report from the Hudson Institute think tank in Washington stated that it would take only five missiles with warheads to destroy or severely damage every aircraft sitting on the main combat aviation ramp at Diego Garcia.
The Shahid Mahdavi and an Iranian Navy corvette visited Port Klang in Malaysia in February before sailing off the coasts of Pakistan, India, and Sri Lanka. The flotilla reportedly came within 1,300km of Diego Garcia near the equator.
Trump remains determined to halt Iran’s nuclear development programme. He has reportedly written to Iranian officials urging them to hold direct talks. While Iran has indicated a willingness to engage in indirect negotiations, tensions remain high.
“There are two ways Iran can be handled: militarily, or you make a deal. I would prefer to make a deal because I’m not looking to hurt Iran,” Trump told Fox News last month. Trump has given the Iranians until the start of May to conclude an agreement. Iran and the US struck a deal during Barack Obama’s presidency, but Trump scrapped the agreement during his first term.
Since mid-March, US strikes have killed at least 53 people, according to the Houthi-run health ministry. The attacks came in response to escalating threats against US warships, with the militants claiming their actions are in solidarity with Gaza amid Israel’s ongoing offensive.
Trump’s heated rhetoric only adds to the tension.
“Stop shooting at US ships, and we will stop shooting at you. Otherwise, we have only just begun, and the real pain is yet to come – for both the Houthis and their sponsors in Iran,” Trump said on his Truth Social platform.