More US warships and marines are being sent to the Gulf to thwart Iran’s attempts to seize commercial ships
In response to Iranian efforts to detain commercial ships there, the US is deploying more warships and thousands more Marines to the Middle East to boost security.
According to US authorities, Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin gave his approval on Thursday for the deployment of the 26th Marine Expeditionary Unit and the USS Bataan amphibious readiness group to the Gulf area. Three ships make up the readiness group, including the amphibious assault ship Bataan. Normally, an expeditionary unit comprises of 2,500 Marines.
The deployment will provide the area “even greater flexibility and maritime capability,” according to a statement from US Central Command. Under the condition of anonymity in order to discuss military movements, US officials described the forces participating in the deployment but did not identify the ships.
The USS Carter Hall and the USS Mesa Verde are two other vessels in the group along with the Bataan. Early this month, the gang departed Norfolk, Virginia. On Thursday, it remained uncertain whether all three ships would go into the Gulf. The move follows choices made in recent weeks to send the destroyer USS Thomas Hudner and several F-35 and F-16 fighter fighters to the area. In reaction to the Iranian activities, there have also been A-10 attack aircraft there for many weeks.
Early this month, Iran attempted to board two oil tankers in the vicinity of the Strait of Hormuz and fired on one of them. In order to dissuade Iran, the fighter jets are meant to provide aerial protection for the commercial ships using the river and to make the military more visible nearby.
The additional forces, according to Central Command commander Gen. Erik Kurilla, “provide unique capabilities, which, alongside our partner nations in the region, further safeguard the free flow of international commerce and uphold the rules-based international order, and deter Iranian destabilizing activities in the region.”
