US aircraft carrier, B-52 — dispatched to Mideast over Iran — conduct exercise
By The Associated Press
The Abraham Lincoln Carrier Strike Group and a U.S. Air Force B-52H Stratofortress conduct joint exercises in the Arabian Sea on June 1. (Mass Communication Specialist 1st Class Brian M. Wilbur/U.S. Navy via AP)
DUBAI, United Arab Emirates — The U.S. military says a B-52 bomber and an aircraft carrier dispatched to the Mideast over a perceived threat from Iran have conducted a joint exercise together in the Arabian Sea.
The Air Force said in a statement Sunday that the exercise saw F/A-18 Super Hornets, MH-60 Sea Hawk helicopters and E-2D Growlers from the USS Abraham Lincoln fly with the B-52 bomber.
The Air Force says the aircraft also "simulated strike operations" in the exercise, which took place on Saturday.
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The Abraham Lincoln Carrier Strike Group and a U.S. Air Force B-52H Stratofortress conduct joint exercises in the Arabian Sea on June 1, 2019. (Mass Communication Specialist 3rd Class Amber Smalley/U.S. Navy via AP)
The Abraham Lincoln Carrier Strike Group and a U.S. Air Force B-52H Stratofortress conduct joint exercises in the Arabian Sea on June 1, 2019. (Mass Communication Specialist 1st Class Brian M. Wilbur/U.S. Navy via AP)
The Abraham Lincoln Carrier Strike Group and a U.S. Air Force B-52H Stratofortress conduct joint exercises in the Arabian Sea on June 1, 2019. (Mass Communication Specialist 1st Class Brian M. Wilbur/U.S. Navy via AP)
U.S. Navy F-18 Hornets form up off the wing of a U.S. Air Force B-52H Stratofortress on June 1, 2019, as they conduct joint exercises in the U.S. Central Command area of responsibility in Arabian Sea. (Staff Sgt. Erin Piazza/U.S. Air Force via AP)
The White House dispatched the Lincoln and its strike force to the Mideast in May over an Iranian threat it did not describe at the time.
The U.S. pulled out of Iran’s nuclear deal a year ago. Since then, relations have grown tense as America imposes ever-tougher sanctions on Tehran.
President Donald Trump’s national security adviser warned Iran on Wednesday that any attacks in the Persian Gulf will draw a “very strong response” from the U.S., taking a hard-line approach with Tehran after his boss only two days earlier said America wasn’t “looking to hurt Iran at all.”
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