Asked if B-2 bombers are message to Iran, Pentagon chief replies: ‘We’ll let them decide’

PANAMA CITY, Panama — US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth says it is up to Iran to decide whether the recent US movement of B-2 bombers was a message to Tehran, as he voiced hope that US-Iran negotiations over Tehran’s nuclear program could be resolved peacefully.

As many as six B-2 bombers relocated in March to a US-British military base on the Indian Ocean island of Diego Garcia, US officials have told Reuters, amid a US bombing campaign in Yemen and mounting tensions with Iran.

There are only 20 B-2 bombers in the Air Force’s inventory so they are usually used sparingly.

Experts say that puts the B-2s, which have stealth technology and are equipped to carry the heaviest US bombs and nuclear weapons, in an ideal position to operate in the Middle East.

Asked if the B-2s were meant to send a message to Iran, Hegseth says: “We’ll let them decide.”

“It’s a great asset… it sends a message to everybody,” he tells reporters during a trip to Panama.

“President Trump’s been clear… Iran should not have a nuclear bomb,” he says. “We very much hope — the president is focused on doing that peacefully.”