Are B-2 bombers a message to Iran? 'We'll let them decide,' Pentagon chief says

By Phil Stewart

PANAMA CITY (Reuters) - U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said it was up to Iran to decide whether the recent U.S. movement of B-2 bombers was a message to Tehran, as he voiced hope that U.S.-Iran negotiations over Tehran's nuclear program could be resolved peacefully.

As many as six B-2 bombers relocated in March to a U.S.-British military base on the Indian Ocean island of Diego Garcia, U.S. officials have told Reuters, amid a U.S. 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 U.S. 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 said: "We'll let them decide."

"It's a great asset ... it sends a message to everybody," he told reporters during a trip to Panama.

"President Trump's been clear ... Iran should not have a nuclear bomb," he said. "We very much hope - the President is focused on doing that peacefully."

Trump on Monday made a surprise announcement that the United States and Iran were poised to begin direct talks on Tehran's nuclear program on Saturday, warning that Iran would be in "great danger" if the talks were unsuccessful.

Iran, which had pushed against Trump's demands in recent weeks, said indirect talks would be held in Oman, underscoring the differences between the two countries.

Trump on Wednesday repeated a threat to use military force if Iran did not agree to end its nuclear program.

"I'm not asking for much ... but they can't have a nuclear weapon," Trump told reporters. "If it requires military, we're going to have military. Israel will, obviously, be ... the leader of that. No one leads us. We do what we want."

He declined to address when any military action could begin.

Although B-2 bombers have been employed to strike Houthi targets in Yemen in the past, most experts say use of the stealthy bomber is overkill there.

However, the B-2 is equipped to carry America's the 30,000-pound GBU-57 Massive Ordnance Penetrator, designed to destroy targets deep underground. That is the weapon that experts say could be used to strike Iran's nuclear program.

Western powers accuse Iran of having a clandestine agenda to develop nuclear weapons by enriching uranium to a high level of fissile purity, above what they say is justifiable for a civilian atomic energy program.

Tehran says its nuclear program is wholly for civilian energy purposes.

(Reporting by Phil Stewart. Editing by Gerry Doyle)