As part of a plan to strengthen the US military presence in the Middle East, the United States of America has sent more than three thousand American sailors to the region in confirmation from Washington that it aims to deter Iran from detaining ships and oil tankers, the US Fifth Fleet reported .

 

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Edited by| Paul Mitchel

 

Middle East  section -  CJ journalist

 

Manama - August,7,2023

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"More than 3,000 sailors arrived in the Middle East on August 6 as part of the Department of Defense's previously announced plan," the Bahrain-based U.S. Fleet said in a statement, adding that "the amphibious assault ship USS Bataan and the landing ship USS Carter Hall entered the Red Sea after crossing the Mediterranean through the Suez Canal.

These reinforcements provide "additional air and naval assets, as well as more US Marines and sailors, providing greater flexibility and naval capability for the US Fifth Fleet" in the Middle East region.

Fifth Fleet spokesman Tim Hawkins said the deployment confirmed"our strong and unwavering commitment to regional maritime security".

"These units add significant flexibility and operational capabilities as we work alongside international partners to deter destabilizing activity and ease regional tensions caused by Iran's harassment and seizure of commercial vessels,"he said.

The U.S. military says Iran has seized or attempted to seize control of about 20 ships in the region over the past two years.

Washington announced that its forces prevented two Iranian attempts to detain two oil tankers in international waters off Oman on the fifth of July, while Tehran seized a merchant ship the next day.

In April and early May, Iran seized two tankers within a week in territorial waters, and was also accused of launching a drone attack on a tanker owned by an Israeli company in November 2022.

Similar incidents have occurred since 2018, when then-US President Donald Trump withdrew his country from the Iran nuclear deal and reimposed severe sanctions on the Islamic Republic, which Washington says Tehran has successfully circumvented.

Last week, a US official reported on plans to"deploy a security guard composed of Marines and navy personnel on commercial tankers passing through and near the Strait of Hormuz to form an additional layer of Defense for these vulnerable vessels".

He stressed that it is necessary to receive a request to do this because the ships are private, adding, "We are making preparations for implementation in case there are final agreements to do so".

Pentagon spokesman General Pat Ryder and National Security Council spokesman John Kirby declined to confirm reports of the planned deployment.

 

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