Dispatched to Cyprus Base, Significantly Boosting Air Power
The United Kingdom has forward-deployed state-of-the-art F-35 stealth fighters to its base in Cyprus, a key hub for Middle East operations, in preparation for a possible U.S. military strike against Iran. As nuclear talks between the United States and Iran, which resumed in Oman, have failed to produce any significant results, and U.S. President Donald Trump has hinted at the possibility of military action by mentioning "harsh consequences," the United Kingdom appears to be bolstering its support through an immediate reinforcement of military power.
The British daily The Times reported on the 7th (local time) that six Royal Air Force F-35B aircraft had been moved to the British-controlled Akrotiri Air Base in Cyprus in response to rising tensions in the Middle East. Having departed from their home base at Marham on the 6th, they are scheduled to be deployed from Akrotiri alongside existing Typhoon fighters and aerial refueling aircraft for missions over Iraq and Syria.
Prior to this, at Qatar's request, the Royal Air Force had also deployed four Typhoon fighters from No. 12 Squadron, previously stationed at a home base in the United Kingdom, to Qatar.
The United Kingdom's move to strengthen its air power in the Middle East through the additional deployment of F-35 fighters came as nuclear talks between the United States and Iran were held on the 6th. The U.S. and Iranian delegations, led respectively by White House Middle East envoy Steve Witkoff and Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi, resumed negotiations on Iran's nuclear issue in Muscat, the capital of Oman, but failed to achieve concrete results and instead agreed to continue the dialogue further.
President Trump, having already carried out a large-scale military deployment in the Middle East centered on the aircraft carrier strike group Abraham Lincoln, is pressuring Iran to abandon uranium enrichment and other activities, while stating that he will not rule out military action if circumstances do not improve. Speaking with reporters on the presidential plane on the 6th while traveling from Washington, D.C. to his home state of Florida, President Trump said, "It seems that Iran is very eager to make a deal," but stressed, "If they (Iran) do not agree, the consequences will be very harsh."
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