The U.S. is now flying B-52 bombers over Iran — an operational shift that signals American forces have achieved air superiority inside parts of the country after weeks of strikes degraded Tehran’s defenses.

Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen. Dan Caine said in a briefing Tuesday the missions began «given the increase in air superiority,» as U.S. forces expand operations inside Iranian territory.

President Donald Trump said during an address to the public Thursday night that Iran’s air defenses had been «annihilated,» calling U.S. forces «unstoppable.» 

«We are in this military operation … for 32 days,» he said. «And the country has been eviscerated and essentially is really no longer a threat.»

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The bomber, first used during the Cold War and flown for about 70 years, allows the U.S. to expand the pace and flexibility of its strikes. Unlike earlier stand-off attacks focused on fixed targets, B-52s can remain over the battlefield and hit multiple targets in a single mission, including mobile systems and hardened sites, Mark Gunzinger, a retired Air Force colonel and former B-52 command pilot, told Fox News Digital. 

The development signals the U.S. has moved beyond the initial phase of degrading Iran’s air defenses and is now able to operate more freely inside the country’s airspace, allowing for sustained, higher-volume strikes as the campaign enters a potentially more intense phase.

The aircraft can carry up to 70,000 pounds of ordnance — more than any other bomber in the U.S. arsenal — and deliver a mix of precision-guided bombs and long-range cruise missiles in a single mission. 

But the bomber is slower than modern aircraft and lacks stealth, making it more vulnerable to radar and air defenses — conditions that would typically keep it out of contested airspace.

«The fact that these B-52s are now flying over Iran is clear evidence that we have air superiority — and even air dominance over parts of Iran,» Gunzinger said.

Gunzinger said that level of control allows U.S. forces to operate more freely over Iran, including remaining over the battlefield and striking targets as they emerge rather than relying solely on pre-planned, long-range attacks.

While U.S. officials have emphasized growing control of the skies, air superiority does not eliminate all threats. Iran still retains missile and drone capabilities, and has relied on asymmetric tactics throughout the conflict to continue attacks despite losses to its air defenses.

Early in the campaign, B-52s fired long-range cruise missiles from outside Iranian airspace. More recently, bombers operating from U.S.-operated UK base Royal Air Force Fairford have been seen carrying precision-guided bombs — a shift that reflects growing U.S. control of the skies and the move toward closer-range strikes.

«B-52s flying in Iran’s airspace shows America’s complete air dominance — and guaranteed, there are also F-22s and F-35s at high altitude on overwatch,» Rebecca Grant, a military analyst, told Fox News Digital. «They bring the big bomb payload for direct attacks on Iran’s drone and missile factories, plus underground targets.»

The Pentagon could not immediately be reached for comment. 

During the June 2025 strikes on Iran’s nuclear facilities, stealth B-2 bombers led the assault, dropping massive bunker-buster bombs on hardened sites like Fordow and Natanz.

B-52s, meanwhile, were deployed to the region as part of the broader U.S. buildup — positioned to support sustained operations if needed. 

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Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen. Dan Caine said the missions began «given the increase in air superiority,» as U.S. forces expand operations inside Iranian territory. (Matthew Horwood/Getty Images)

CENTCOM shared footage of strikes against airplanes amid the Iran war. (U.S. Central Command on X)

The latest development signals the U.S. has moved beyond the initial phase of degrading Iran’s air defenses and is now able to operate more freely inside the country’s airspace, allowing for sustained, higher-volume strikes as the campaign enters a potentially more intense phase.

The expanded freedom of action could become more important as the campaign enters what Trump has described as its final phase, with U.S. officials signaling that strikes could intensify in the coming weeks.

«If you really want to devastate Iran’s ability to continue to launch missiles and drones, you would want to use bombers to do that,» Gunzinger said.

Gunzinger added that the U.S. is using a significant portion of its combat-ready bomber fleet to sustain operations, underscoring the scale of the campaign as it enters what could be its most intense phase.

«Our bomber force now totals 140 aircraft,» he said, referring to B-2s, B-52s and B-1Bs. «If you scale that down to how many are ready to go to combat today, you’re probably at less than 50.»

«That is a dramatic change since the end of the Cold War era, where we had over 400 bombers, so we’re using a good percentage — I’d say a majority — of our combat capable bombers for this fight, to sustain this fight.»

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Built in the early 1960s for nuclear war against the Soviet Union, the B-52 Stratofortress was never designed to operate inside modern, heavily defended airspace — making its current use over Iran a reflection of how much those defenses have been degraded.

While U.S. officials have emphasized growing control of the skies, air superiority does not eliminate all threats. Iran still retains missile and drone capabilities, and has relied on asymmetric tactics throughout the conflict to continue attacks despite losses to its air defenses.

Razones ocultas de la guerra

El estrecho de Ormuz, el punto clave del conflicto en Oriente Medio.

Un Frankenstein en Oriente Medio

Activist and celebrity chef José Andrés joined protesters outside the U.S. Supreme Court on Wednesday, when President Donald Trump became the first sitting president on record to attend oral arguments on a case at the High Court. 

Andrés, when speaking to Fox News Digital, slammed Trump for «changing the game’s rules,» rules the chef said «have been already done,» the same year as America’s 250th anniversary since the Declaration of Independence was signed. He suggested that what Trump is doing – attempting to ensure that children born to parents who are in the United States illegally or temporarily do not become American citizens – is not what America «should be working towards.» 

The chef’s comments mirrored remarks by other protesters alongside him outside the Supreme Court, complaining that Trump’s efforts to tighten the screws around birthright citizenship violates the Constitution. Actor Robert De Niro, who did not join protesters but joined Trump and some of his closest advisors inside the courtroom, was also present at the High Court on Wednesday.

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«The argument is that this country, this year, is celebrating 250 years! It’s not the time to be changing the game’s rules. Those rules have been already done,» Andrés said. «Let’s keep working to make sure that the 15 million immigrants become part of America. This is what America should be working towards.»

Andrés’ suggestion that «the game’s rules» have already been written and Trump’s efforts are trying to upend those pre-settled rules, effectively saying it goes against the Constitution and other policies the country was founded on, was echoed by other protesters Fox News digital caught up with outside the Supreme Court Wednesday as well. 

«Well, I don’t know that there should be no limits, but there certainly shouldn’t be the limits that are proposed. And Justice Robert said it way better than I could. It’s a new world. It’s the same Constitution,» someone at the protest outside the Supreme Court, holding a small dog wearing a sign that read «NO KINGS. ONLY BI—ES,» told Fox News Digital. 

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«We are setting ourselves up for a two-tiered, or hierarchy of citizenship, you know. Why is it that some people who are born here get to be citizens and other people are not, based on who their parents’ ancestry is? To me that just violates the core concept of equality that our country is supposed to be founded on,» said another.

People demonstrate outside the U.S. Supreme Court ahead of U.S. President Donald Trump’s expected arrival on April 01, 2026 in Washington, DC. The Supreme Court is hearing oral arguments in Trump v. Barbara to determine if President Trump’s executive order ending birthright citizenship is constitutional. (Al Drago/Getty Images)

«It will help regulations when it comes to certain laws. And it was kind of – the hearing itself – it was educational, a lot of things to take, and things to learn from the 14th Amendment,» added another.

«We have a 14th Amendment for a reason,» another activist said. «We can’t rewrite the Constitution.»

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When asked for his thoughts on Wednesday’s oral arguments after leaving the courthouse Wednesday, De Niro focused his criticism on Trump, telling Fox News Digital he didn’t know what to think immediately after leaving the hearing.

«I’m waiting to get a, getting a – I’m not sure because I could hear, but not hear. It’s complicated. So, I can’t say,» De Niro responded when asked about the oral arguments he had just witnessed.

Robert De Niro caught leaving oral arguments at the Supreme Court on Wednesday, April 1, 2026. (Nicholas Ballasy/Fox News)

De Niro described the Trump administration’s stance on the matter — that children born to parents who are in the United States illegally or temporarily are not American citizens — as a way for Republicans to «get rid of people they don’t want.»

When asked about claims he has «Trump Derangement Syndrome,» sometimes referred to by the acronym «TDS,» De Niro called it «nonsense.»

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«People don’t like him for a reason,» De Niro shot back. «All the terrible things he’s done. If he did nice things, then he could have, he had the chance — he became president — to do nice things, not hateful, retribution, not just, outright mean things. If he did nice things, people would love him. But he’s got a problem. He’s damaged.» Asked what specifically bothered him about Trump, De Niro said «everything.»

«Everything that we all know now,» De Niro, who reportedly sat in seats reserved for the justices’ guests, added as he was leaving the courthouse. 

Reporting from Wednesday indicated the Supreme Court appeared ready to reject Trump’s argument on birthright citizenship. The arguments reportedly lasted over two hours, and, in addition to Trump, recently fired U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi was present, as was Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick, among other Trump allies.