(CNN) — The Pentagon announced, Thursday, the deployment of additional forces in the Middle East, including thousands of Marines, in response to recent Iranian attempts to seize commercial cargo ships.
The decision comes after the ministry said, earlier this week, that it would send F-35 and F-16 fighter jets to the Middle East, as well as the destroyer USS Thomas Hudner.
“The new forces will add unique capabilities to the region in order to further protect the free flow of international trade and support existing rules of the international order,” said General Michael Korella, commander of the US Central Command, “Centcom”.
And earlier this month, the United States intervened to prevent Iran from seizing two tankers in the Gulf of Oman, including a case in which an Iranian ship fired on an oil tanker.
Either way, a US Navy destroyer arrived on the scene, forcing the Iranian ships to sail away from the area.
At the time, US Under Secretary of Defense for Political Affairs Colin Kahl said, “These incidents have received the most attention from the Department of Defense.”
According to a senior US defense official, after the attempted takeover, the US began flying A-10s over the Strait of Hormuz, the planes being equipped with weapons capable of targeting Iranian fast-attack boats and other naval targets.
The planes were deployed to the region in late March, after a series of attacks on American sites by Iranian-backed militias.
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2023-07-20 22:54:47
