Fighter jets from the Vermont National Guard were spotted landing at a Portuguese air force base late last month — likely en route to join other U.S. forces amassing for a potential attack on Iran, according to reports from defense industry publications.
The Vermont guard F-35s seen touching down at Lajes Field — which is in the Azores, a mid-Atlantic island chain controlled by Portugal — were previously deployed to Puerto Rico as part of the operation resulting in the capture of Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro, reporting from The War Zone and The Aviationist said. Lajes Field is a frequent stopover for U.S. military aircraft traveling to the Middle East, Europe and Africa.
Both publications cited an image and video captured by a local photographer showing an F-35 bearing “VT” on its tailwing. The photographer identified a group of six such jets.
The public affairs office for the Vermont National Guard did not respond to a request Monday for more information about the latest reported deployment of its planes.
The movement of the Vermont jets comes as President Donald Trump has ordered a large buildup of U.S. military forces around the Middle East in recent weeks as he threatens new military action against Iran. That includes what Trump has called a “massive armada” of ships, along with — according to publicly available flight data cited by the defense industry publications — other variations of U.S. fighter jets.
Trump has threatened to use force to compel Iran to agree to the U.S.’s demands over the Middle Eastern country’s nuclear program. Both sides have held recent diplomatic talks, at least indirectly, that also come as the Iranian government has brutally cracked down on nationwide protests there, killing thousands of people.
Vermont’s F-35s would give the U.S. the ability to strike military targets far inside Iran, according to The War Zone. Other F-35s — from a U.S. Air Force unit in Utah — played a major role in last June’s operation that, under Trump’s orders and together with the Israeli military, bombed three nuclear facilities in Iran.
It is not clear exactly what role the Vermont guard’s jets played in the operation that resulted in Maduro’s capture.
Vermont’s two U.S. senators told reporters at a press conference Friday that they did not have any information about a possible deployment of the state’s jets to the Middle East. Both Independent Sen. Bernie Sanders and Democratic Sen. Peter Welch condemned Trump’s recent use of military force in and near Venezuela and said the president needs to consult Congress before entangling the U.S. in a war.
“Both Bernie and I are adamantly opposed to that executive overreach,” Welch said. “It’s extremely dangerous.”
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