In an apparent warning directed toward Iran, US Navy launches submarine capable of carrying a large payload of missiles into the Middle East…reports Asian Lite News
Tensions escalated between Tehran and Washington after US Navy has launched a submarine capable of carrying a large payload of missiles into the Middle East in an apparent warning directed toward Iran.
Bab el Mandeb strait at the southern end of the Red Sea serves as the main conduit between the Persian Gulf, the Indian Ocean, and the Suez Canal. The nuclear-powered submarine is deployed to the US 5th Fleet, which has a patrol that includes the Bab el-Mandeb Strait, the Red Sea and the Suez Canal.
“It is capable of carrying up to 154 Tomahawk land-attack cruise missiles and is deployed to US 5th Fleet to help ensure regional maritime security and stability,” said Cmdr. Timothy Hawkins.
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US-Iranian relations have further soured in recent years following former President Donald Trump’s successful order to kill Iran’s top military commander, Qasem Soleimani, as well as his decision to end a deal that curbed sanctions on Iran in exchange for a reduction in nuclear weapons development.
The heightened aggression from Iran extends also to US allies, namely the United Kingdom and Israel, who along with the US have reported unusual amounts of aggression and even attacks from Iranian forces.
Though, Iran has denied the reports. In February, Iran renewed threats to target Trump and top members of his former Cabinet, including former Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, for the 2020 killing of Soleimani.
“God willing, we are looking to kill Trump [and] Pompeo … and military commanders who issued the order should be killed,” Amir Ali Hajizadeh, head of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps aerospace force, told Iranian state television.
Last month, American naval forces teamed up with UK counterparts to seize “anti-tank guided missiles” and missile components from a boat that originated from Iran.
The joint operation, in which the US provided “airborne intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance support for an interdiction in the Gulf of Oman conducted by the United Kingdom Royal Navy”, occurred on February 23.
Iran has expanded its missile program in recent years, ramping up what it claims are defensive arms as a show of defiance to the West in the wake of the collapsed nuclear arms treaty.
While Western officials are concerned over Iran’s growing arms programs, it has also urged caution when it comes to the viability of Iran’s capabilities, including in November when the Pentagon said it was sceptical of Hajizadeh’s claims that Iran had added hypersonic ballistic missile to its stockpiles.
‘Iran plans to attack Israel’
Iran is preparing to attack Israel-owned trading vessels to avenge two Revolutionary Guards advisors killed in alleged Israeli airstrikes in Syria last month, The Times of Israel reported.
The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) Aerospace Force is gearing up to launch drone attacks on ships sailing through the Persian Gulf and the Arabian Sea, according to the report, which cited two anonymous senior Western intelligence officials, The Times of Israel reported. An Iranian political strategist linked to the IRGC told the newspaper the planned attacks were in retaliation for the strikes in Syria, The Times of Israel reported.
The report came as the US military announced it had dispatched the USS Florida, a nuclear-powered guided-missile submarine to the Middle East to “help ensure regional maritime security and stability.” The show of force comes amid heightened tensions with Iran, which continues to harass shipping and attack oil tankers in the area, including several owned by Israelis.
Washington usually does not disclose the locations of its submarines while they are at sea.
“It is capable of carrying up to 154 Tomahawk land-attack cruise missiles and is deployed to US 5th Fleet to help ensure regional maritime security and stability,” fleet spokesperson Commander Timothy Hawkins said in a statement.
Tomahawk cruise missiles launched from ships or submarines can hit targets up to 2,500 kilometres (1,500 miles away).
Hawkins said the submarine entered the region Thursday and began crossing the canal on Friday.
The move also comes with heightened tensions between Israel and Iran amid a general spike in violence in Israel, Lebanon, the West Bank and Gaza.
Israel has allegedly launched a series of airstrikes in Syria in recent weeks, including the strike that killed the Iranian military advisers, prompting vows of revenge from Tehran, The Times of Israel reported.
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