Pullout of B-1 bombers shows how an outgunned Iran is keeping the U.S. on edge

Pullout of B-1 bombers shows how an outgunned Iran is keeping the U.S. on edge - The Washington Post

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Pullout of B-1 bombers shows how an outgunned Iran is keeping the U.S. on edge

Tehran has also used the threat of unconventional attacks to inflict chaos on global energy markets and threaten the safety of Air Force One.

October 7, 2026 at 5:00 a.m. EDTToday at 5:00 a.m. EDT

9 min

*A B-1 bomber is shown taking off from RAF Fairford in England on Sept. 29. (Alastair Grant/AP)*

By Greg Miller

LONDON — In a speech to U.S. forces last week, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth echoed President Donald Trump’s triumphant descriptions of Iran as a vanquished foe.

The United States has “destroyed” Iran’s navy, air force, leadership and “entire defense base,” Hegseth said, crippling Tehran’s conventional capabilities and leaving its shattered “nuclear ambitions laid bare for the world.”

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* Rachel Chason , Lior Soroka , Suzan Haidamous and Mohamad El Chamaa Under pressure, Iran lashes out and ramps up rhetoric September 3, 2026
* Susannah George and John Hudson Iran’s president tells U.N. his country ‘must be powerful so as to avoid being threatened’ September 23, 2026
* Ellen Francis and Rachel Chason UAE says it is suspending trade with Iran after missile launch August 19, 2026
* Susannah George Trump’s infrastructure strikes leave Iran’s economy battered July 31, 2026
* Rachel Chason , Mohamad El Chamaa and Suzan Haidamous U.S. hits bridges and energy targets, Iran says, as strikes widen July 17, 2026
* Ellen Nakashima , Warren Strobel and Susannah George U.S. intelligence says Iran’s regime is consolidating power March 16, 2026

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