The US is deploying B-52 bombers to Qatar in anticipation of an Iranian attack.

B-52 bomber. Photo: AP

The U.S. Department of Defense is proceeding with the deployment of four B-52 heavy bombers to the Middle East to counter a "credible" Iranian attack plan against the U.S. and its allies in the region.

According to several sources, the US Department of Defense told CBS that two of the four aircraft departed Barksdale Air Force Base in Louisiana (USA) to fly to Qatar on May 7th.

The remaining two aircraft will join in the coming weeks. These planes will be stationed at the headquarters of the US Central Command (CENTCOM) at al-Udeid Air Base near Doha, Qatar.

Earlier, on May 6th, the US carrier strike group USS Abraham Lincoln set sail for the Persian Gulf.

Last weekend, US National Security Advisor John Bolton announced that the US would deploy an aircraft carrier strike group and a bomber force near Iran “to send a clear and unmistakable message to Iran that any attack on US interests or those of US allies will be met with no mercy.”

Although Bolton did not specify where the U.S. concerns originated, there are reports that the U.S. received intelligence from Israel. On May 5, a U.S. Department of Defense official told The New York Times that Israeli intelligence had informed the U.S. of this several weeks prior.

The US has deployed an aircraft carrier and bombers to the Iranian coast. Photo: AP

Responding to the US move, Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif criticized on Twitter: "If the US and its customers don't feel safe, it's because they have underestimated the people of the region. Blaming Iran won't change that."