The Pentagon said on July 20 that the US will send marines and two amphibious warships to the Middle East in reaction to Iranian forces' recent attempts to seize commercial ships in the region.
Defence Secretary Lloyd Austin has authorized the deployment of a Marine Expeditionary Unit comprised of the USS Bataan and the USS Carter Hall, as well as their Marines, to the United States. Area of duty for Central Command (CENTCOM).
The Pentagon declared, "We will continue to work with like-minded allies and partners who are committed to the free flow of commerce to take appropriate, coordinated actions against threats to this fundamental principle of the rules-based international order."
The US Defence Department has already dispatched F-35 and F-16 fighter planes, as well as the guided-missile destroyer USS Thomas Hudner, to the Strait of Hormuz and the Gulf of Oman to strengthen regional security.
The extra soldiers, according to CENTCOM commander Gen. Michael "Erik" Kurilla, will serve to further defend the free flow of international commerce, uphold the rules-based international order, and prevent "Iranian destabilizing activities" in the region.
“U.S. Central Command is committed to defending freedom of navigation within our area of responsibility, which includes some of the most important waterways in the world,” Gen. Kurilla said in a statement.
These deployments followed the Iranian navy's unlawful seizure of two oil tankers in seas between Iran and Oman earlier this month.
The Iranian boats, as well as the U.S. According to sources, the Navy shot at one of the tankers as part of the second attempt; no damage or casualties were recorded.
Over the last two years, Iran has assaulted, captured, or attempted to take roughly 20 international flagged commerce vessels operating in its area of operations, according to CENTCOM.
Iranian Defence Minister Brig. Gen. Mohammad Reza Ashtiani stated that his nation has attained a level of force and capability that "no one can threaten," referring to Iran as a "player in the region and the world."
“The United States seeks its own goals, but the Islamic Republic of Iran is at a stage of power and capability that no one can threaten it,” Mr. Ashtiani told reporters on July 19, according to Tehran Times.
When asked about the countries to which Iran primarily sells drones, Mr. Ashtiani answered, “We don’t focus on a particular country because we are a drone power in the world.”
Since the 1979 revolution and following political transition, relations between the United States and Iran have been strained. Tensions have risen further after the United States withdrew from Iran's 2015 nuclear deal with other foreign countries.
Iran has sought to continue nuclear operations while saying they are for benign purposes, and it has also supplied Russia with drones for the Ukraine war.
The United States withdrew from the Iran nuclear agreement in 2018, citing it as "one of the worst and most one-sided transactions the United States has ever entered into."
The deal, he argued, “enriched the Iranian regime and enabled its malign behaviour, while at best delaying its ability to pursue nuclear weapons and allowing it to preserve nuclear research and development.”
