Iran TerrorismUS Intends to Protect Shipping in Gulf From Iran

US Intends to Protect Shipping in Gulf From Iran

-

President Donald Trump looks to Secretary of Defense Mark Esper during a ceremony in the Oval Office at the White House

By Jubin Katiraie

The new US defence secretary said Wednesday that the military intends to protect US commercial ships against Iranian threats in the Persian Gulf, but cannot provide naval escorts in every case.

Mark Esper, who previously served as the Army’s top civilian official, said: “We will escort our ships to the degree that the risk demands it… To the degree United States vessels need an escort, we will be there, we will be available to them.

I use ‘escort’ broadly. ‘Escort’ doesn’t mean” a warship would be sailing “right behind” a commercial vessel. What I mean by it is, as I said, to the degree that circumstances warrant, that we think that maybe a U.S. ship may be under some type of threat … (of) being stopped or being seized, then we would want to make sure we have the capacity to make sure that doesn’t happen.”

He elaborated by saying that in some cases airborne surveillance may be the only monitor or that a Navy warship would be “within proximity”.

He told reporters that the aim of the US presence in the Gulf is to deter Iran from threatening any American commercial ship.

Esper said that the Iran problem must be dealt with immediately, as threats to navigation in the region have become an international issue over the past few months as Iran has responded viciously to US economic sanctions targeting its oil exports.

Just last week, Iranian Revolutionary Guards swarmed a British-flagged oil tanker in the Strait of Hormuz, forcing it to change course and head towards an Iranian port. Iran is still holding al 23 crew members, although they are reported safe and well.

After that incident, US Central Command said it had begun additional aerial patrols. The US Navy also revealed in the past week that it had destroyed one Iranian drone that had been making threatening moves against the USS Boxer in the Strait; possibly even downing a second drone.

The Trump administration wants to build an international coalition to monitor and escort commercial vessels in vulnerable waterways in the Middle East to deter Iranian provocations; a plan called “Operation Sentinel”.

In a move that Esper sees as complementary to this, Britain announced plans on Monday to develop a Europe-led “maritime protection mission” to protect shipping in the Strait of Hormuz.

Esper was confirmed by the Senate on Tuesday, ending a seven-month absence of a defense secretary.

Latest news

 Statistics show that New Year accidents’ deaths in Iran reached 585

Ahmad Shirani, the head of the Information and Traffic Control Center of the Iranian regime’s police, announced that the...

Land Subsidence in Critical Conditions in Isfahan

Mehdi Toghyani, a member of the Iranian regime’s Majlis (parliament), pointed to the occurrence of land subsidence in various...

Iran’s Actual Inflation Rate Higher Than Official Stats

The state-run Donya-e-eqtesad newspaper, in a report analyzing the "general sentiment" regarding inflation in 2023, has stated that households...

Iranian Workers’ Monthly $136 Wages Can’t Cover $500 Expenses

The lives of a significant portion of the Iranian population are marked by uncertainty, largely because the Iranian economy...

Iranian Nurses Earn Twice Their Wages in Ride-Hailing Services

Reza Aryanpour, a member of the regime’s Majlis (parliament) Health and Treatment Commission, highlighted the growing trend of nurses...

Iran: Unprecedented Record of 152 Million Liters of Gasoline Consumption Per Day

On March 19, Iran set a new historical record in gasoline consumption with 152 million liters consumed in one...

Must read

4 Sunni allies of U.S. killed in Iraq

New York Times: Four members of an American-backed neighborhood...

Over 1000 Iranian military advisors in Iraq

The Iranian regime’s military involvement has dramatically increased in...

You might also likeRELATED
Recommended to you