Pentagon Confirms Historic B-52 Overland Missions Inside Iran
In a dramatic escalation of American air power on Day 32 of Operation Epic Fury, the Pentagon confirmed Tuesday that B-52 Stratofortress bombers are now flying overland missions inside Iranian territory for the first time since the war began on February 28.
Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Air Force Gen. Dan Caine, made the announcement during a Pentagon press briefing alongside Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, signaling that the US-led coalition has achieved a level of air superiority that now permits even the most visible and vulnerable bombers in the American arsenal to operate freely over Iran.
“Given the increase in air superiority, we’ve successfully started to conduct the first overland B-52 missions, which allow us, as we’ve said before, to continue to get on top of the enemy,” Caine told reporters.
The deployment of B-52s — massive, non-stealth aircraft first built in the 1950s — is a powerful statement about how thoroughly the coalition has dismantled Iran’s air defense capabilities. Until now, the US military had relied on speed and stealth, deploying more sophisticated platforms like the B-2 Spirit stealth bomber and B-1B Lancer to strike fortified targets deep inside Iran.
The fact that 70-year-old B-52s can now fly openly over Iranian airspace tells a stark story: Iran’s ability to contest its own skies has been effectively destroyed.
Hegseth’s Secret Visit: ‘The American Warrior Unleashed’
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth opened Tuesday’s briefing with a revelation that stunned reporters — he had made a covert weekend visit to US troops operating in the CENTCOM theater, walking flight lines and speaking with service members engaged in combat operations.
“I spoke to all ranks and all services, none of whom knew we were coming,” Hegseth said. “It was not rehearsed or scripted. Sometimes we just wandered. What I witnessed was motivation. It was sheer mission focus. It was the American warrior unleashed.”
In one memorable exchange, Hegseth recounted meeting a junior airwoman on the tarmac at sunset who, when asked what she needed, “simply looked up at me with a sly smile on her face and said, ‘More bombs, sir, and bigger bombs.'”
“We will happily oblige her,” Hegseth responded.
The Defense Secretary said troops repeatedly asked him to “thank the president” and expressed eagerness to finish the mission rather than requesting better equipment or more comfortable living conditions.
‘Regime Change Has Occurred’
Perhaps the most consequential statement from Tuesday’s briefing came when Hegseth declared that “regime change has occurred” in Iran — a loaded phrase carrying enormous geopolitical implications.
“This new regime, because regime change has occurred, should be wiser than the last,” Hegseth said, suggesting the US believes the existing Iranian government structure has been fundamentally altered by the month-long air campaign.
The comment comes as President Donald Trump told the Financial Times on Monday that the combined US-Israeli force has struck more than 13,000 targets since February 28, with approximately 3,000 targets remaining on the strike list.
Hegseth warned that the “upcoming days will be decisive” and that Iran’s options are rapidly shrinking: “We have more and more options, and they have less. In only one month we set the terms.”
Iran Strikes Back: 18 US Companies Threatened
Iran’s Revolutionary Guards responded to the intensifying campaign with a dramatic new threat on Tuesday, announcing they will begin targeting major US companies operating in the Middle East region starting Wednesday.
The IRGC’s target list includes 18 American corporate giants: Microsoft, Google, Apple, Intel, IBM, Tesla, and Boeing among them. The threat represents a significant expansion of Iran’s retaliation strategy — moving beyond military targets to the economic infrastructure of American business interests across the Gulf.
The threat came on the same day that Iran set ablaze a fully loaded Kuwait-flagged oil tanker, the Al-Salmi, off the coast of Dubai in what was the latest in a string of Iranian attacks on merchant shipping in the Persian Gulf and Strait of Hormuz.
Dubai authorities said the fire was brought under control with no oil spill and no crew injuries, but the vessel — capable of carrying approximately 2 million barrels of crude oil worth over $200 million — sustained significant hull damage.
Oil Prices Shatter Records as Energy Crisis Deepens
The tanker attack sent crude prices surging once again. Brent crude futures rose 4.7% to above $118 per barrel, on course for a record monthly gain. US crude oil settled above $100 per barrel for the first time since July 2022.
American consumers are feeling the pain directly — the national average gas price has crossed $4 per gallon for the first time in more than three years, according to GasBuddy data. The rising fuel costs are creating a political headache for Trump and the Republican Party ahead of November’s midterm elections.
Bloomberg analysis published Tuesday painted a sobering picture: despite the massive US-Israeli air campaign devastating Iran’s military infrastructure, “it is arguably Iran that has secured the most significant strategic victory” through its stranglehold on the Strait of Hormuz, which carries roughly 20% of the world’s oil supply.
Trump Lashes Out at Allies: ‘Go Get Your Own Oil’
President Trump added to the diplomatic turbulence on Tuesday, criticizing countries that have refused to support the war effort. In a pointed rebuke of European allies, Trump told France and Britain they should find “some delayed courage” to secure the Strait of Hormuz themselves.
“Go get your own oil,” Trump told allies in what reporters described as an angry outburst. “USA won’t be there to help you anymore.”
The comments came after Reuters reported that France has refused to allow its airspace to be used to transport US weapons for use in the Iran war — joining Spain, which closed its airspace to US military flights last week in a move that strained NATO relations.
Explosions Rock Isfahan and Tehran
On the ground, the air campaign showed no signs of slowing. Eyewitness video verified by Reuters on Tuesday showed large explosions and plumes of smoke rising over Isfahan, the central Iranian city home to critical military and nuclear facilities.
The Institute for the Study of War (ISW) reported that the combined force struck oil refinery targets in northwestern and western Iran, while Saudi Arabia intercepted 10 Iranian drones on March 29 and Qatar reported intercepting additional Iranian drones — the second Iranian attack on Qatar since Trump warned on Truth Social that the US would retaliate against nations that interfere.
What Comes Next
As Operation Epic Fury enters its fifth week, the contours of an endgame are beginning to emerge — though they remain sharply contested.
Hegseth said Trump “is willing to make a deal” and that negotiations are “ongoing and gaining strength,” but emphasized the US is prepared to continue and intensify military operations if Iran does not comply with demands to open the Strait of Hormuz and abandon its nuclear program.
With B-52s now flying unchallenged over Iranian territory, 13,000 targets already struck, and the Pentagon declaring regime change has occurred, the military dimension of the conflict appears to be approaching a conclusion.
But the economic and diplomatic dimensions — surging oil prices, fractured alliances, threats against American companies, and the still-blocked Strait of Hormuz — suggest the crisis is far from over.
The next few days, as Hegseth put it, will be decisive.