US President Donald Trump speaks during a swearing-in ceremony of Special Envoy Steve Witkoff in the Oval Office at the White House in Washington, DC, US, May 6, 2025. Photo: REUTERS/Kent Nishimura

The US military has moved a large number of refueling aircraft to Europe to provide options to President Donald Trump as Middle East tensions soar, two US officials told Reuters on Monday, speaking on condition of anonymity.

AirNav systems, a flight tracking website, said that on Sunday evening more than 31 US Air Force refueling aircraft — primarily KC-135s and KC-45s — left the United States, heading east.

The officials declined to comment on the number of aircraft but said the US aircraft carrier Nimitz was heading to the Middle East, in what one of them said was a pre-planned deployment. The Nimitz can hold 5,000 personnel and more than 60 aircraft, including fighter jets.

Taken together, the deployments suggest the United States is greatly strengthening its air power for potentially sustained operations as Iran and Israel trade blows, in unprecedented open warfare that is seeing civilian casualties mount on both sides.

“The sudden eastward deployment of over two dozen US Air Force tankers is not business as usual. It’s a clear signal of strategic readiness,” said Eric Schouten at Dyami Security Intelligence.

“Whether it’s about supporting Israel, preparing for long-range operations, logistics is key, this move shows the US is positioning itself for rapid escalation if tensions with Iran spill over.”

The United States has been cautious so far, helping Israel knock down incoming missiles. But Trump vetoed an Israeli plan in recent days to kill Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, two US officials told Reuters on Sunday.

One of them said the United States did not support going after Iran’s political leadership as long as Americans weren’t being targeted.

A third US official, speaking on condition of anonymity, declined to comment on the tanker movement but stressed that US military activities in the region were defensive in nature.

The Pentagon referred Reuters to the White House, which did not immediately respond to a request for comment.