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US early warning aircraft spotted near Persian Gulf

TASS, citing sources in Middle East air traffic control, reports US Navy aircraft, including a Boeing E-3B Sentry and refueling tankers, have been detected over the Persian Gulf near Iranian-controlled airspace. The report comes amid heightened tensions following the collapse of a ceasefire between Washington and Tehran.

By Tertius News AI Desk 1 outlet · 2 articles Version 1 Coverage Jul 9–10, 2026 Published Aug 15

US Early Warning Aircraft Spotted Circling Persian Gulf Near Iranian Airspace

MOSCOW, July 10. /TASS/. An early warning aircraft belonging to the United States has been observed operating in the Persian Gulf, where it is circling the area, according to a source within Middle East air traffic control, as reported by TASS.

The Boeing E-3B Sentry, which has a detection range of up to 400 kilometers, departed from a regional military base and is currently conducting operations over the Persian Gulf, the source stated. The aircraft is maintaining an altitude of approximately 10 kilometers. Additionally, around five US Boeing KC-135R Stratotankers and Boeing KC-46A Pegasus military transport tankers are presently overhead in the waters of the Persian Gulf and the Gulf of Oman. Notably, two of these tankers are circling near the boundary of Iranian-controlled airspace, with all aircraft maneuvering in a manner that involves crossing civil aviation flight corridors.

A separate report from TASS, dated July 9, also described US Navy aircraft detected over neutral waters of the Persian Gulf, including near the Flight Information Region of Iran (Tehran FIR). According to that source, at least two US aerial refueling aircraft have been detected over neutral waters, flying in circles in the immediate vicinity of Tehran FIR. Two more planes were reported flying over the Persian Gulf coast and two over the neutral waters of the Gulf of Oman, identified as a Boeing KC-135R Stratotanker and a Boeing KC-46A Pegasus.

These movements come amid ongoing tensions between Washington and Tehran. The United States and Israel initiated an attack on Iran on February 28, according to TASS. In June, Washington and Tehran signed a memorandum of understanding providing for an immediate ceasefire across all fronts, including Lebanon. However, on July 8, US President Donald Trump declared the ceasefire with Iran over, accusing Tehran of violating bilateral agreements.

In response, Iranian Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf stated that the Strait of Hormuz would only be reopened once Tehran’s conditions are met, dismissing US threats as ineffective. He underscored that US intimidation and broken promises are now met with firm resistance. A separate TASS report quoted Ghalibaf as saying the Strait of Hormuz would be open only if Tehran’s conditions were met and that Washington’s threats would not work, stressing that US intimidation and broken promises would have consequences.

Perspectives

Moscow-based TASS frames the military activity as part of an ongoing conflict initiated by the US and Israel, emphasizing the breakdown of the ceasefire and Iranian warnings of consequences.

How this outlet told it

TASS — English as of Jul 9, 2026, 7:31 PM UTC

Framing: US military presence in Persian Gulf — Neutral/informative

Facts Included:

US Navy aircraft detected over neutral waters of the Persian Gulf
Aircraft circling near Tehran FIR
Two US aerial refueling aircraft identified as Boeing KC-135R Stratotanker and Boeing KC-46A Pegasus
US and Israel launched a war against Iran on February 28
Memorandum of understanding signed between US and Iran in June
US President Donald Trump declared ceasefire with Iran over on July 8

Read the source article →

TASS — English as of Jul 10, 2026, 6:01 PM UTC

Framing: US military presence and operations in Persian Gulf — Neutral/informative

Facts Included:

Boeing E-3B Sentry early warning aircraft operating in the Persian Gulf
Aircraft maintaining altitude of approximately 10 kilometers
Five US Boeing KC-135R Stratotankers and Boeing KC-46A Pegasus military transport tankers overhead in the waters of the Persian Gulf and the Gulf of Oman
Two tankers circling near boundary of Iranian-controlled airspace
US and Israel initiated attack on Iran on February 28
Memorandum aiming for immediate ceasefire signed between US and Iran in June

Read the source article →

What was claimed, and who backed it

Each row is one claim, attributed to the outlet whose wording states it most clearly. Confidence rates how directly the source text states the claim — explicit and unhedged rates high; hedged, pieced-together, or internally inconsistent statements rate lower. It does not measure whether the claim is true. Status counts the distinct outlets we found asserting it — so a single-source claim can still show high confidence, and a multi-source claim can show medium. Every one of those outlets is named beside the status, so you can check the count against the list. For claims extracted before we began storing that list, the row says so: it names the outlet the claim is quoted from and states that we have not recorded which outlets backed it. Outlets wrote at different times, so a figure that evolves — a casualty count, for example — can legitimately differ between rows; check the "as of" time next to each claim's source.

Claim	Confidence	Status
ClaimAircraft of the US Navy have been detected circling over neutral waters of the Persian Gulf, including near the Flight Information Region of Iran (Tehran FIR).	ConfidenceHigh	StatusSingle-source via TASS — English as of Jul 9, 2026, 7:31 PM UTC
ClaimTwo US aerial refueling aircraft have been detected over the neutral waters of the Persian Gulf, identified as a Boeing KC-135R Stratotanker and a Boeing KC-46A Pegasus.	ConfidenceHigh	StatusSingle-source via TASS — English as of Jul 9, 2026, 7:31 PM UTC
ClaimA Boeing E-3B Sentry early warning aircraft is operating in the Persian Gulf, circling the area and maintaining an altitude of approximately 10 kilometers.	ConfidenceHigh	StatusSingle-source via TASS — English as of Jul 10, 2026, 6:01 PM UTC
ClaimAround five US Boeing KC-135R Stratotankers and Boeing KC-46A Pegasus military transport tankers are overhead in the waters of the Persian Gulf and the Gulf of Oman.	ConfidenceHigh	StatusSingle-source via TASS — English as of Jul 10, 2026, 6:01 PM UTC
ClaimTwo tankers are circling near the boundary of Iranian-controlled airspace.	ConfidenceHigh	StatusSingle-source via TASS — English as of Jul 10, 2026, 6:01 PM UTC
ClaimThe US and Israel launched a war against Iran on February 28.	ConfidenceHigh	StatusSingle-source via TASS — English as of Jul 9, 2026, 7:31 PM UTC
ClaimA memorandum of understanding providing for an immediate ceasefire across all fronts, including Lebanon, was signed between the US and Iran in June.	ConfidenceHigh	StatusSingle-source via TASS — English as of Jul 9, 2026, 7:31 PM UTC
ClaimUS President Donald Trump declared the ceasefire with Iran over on July 8, accusing Tehran of violating bilateral agreements.	ConfidenceHigh	StatusSingle-source via TASS — English as of Jul 9, 2026, 7:31 PM UTC

Transparency & Audit Trail

1 outlet · 2 articles consulted: TASS — English 8 claims extracted Version 1 Written 2026-08-15