The United States is sending additional fighter jets and a warship to the Strait of Hormuz and Gulf of Oman to bolster security following Iranian attempts to seize commercial vessels. The Pentagon announced on Monday that the USS Thomas Hudner, a destroyer, and several F-35 fighter jets would be deployed to the region.
The move comes after Iran tried to seize two oil tankers near the strait this month, opening fire on one of them. The aircraft are intended to provide air cover for commercial ships and increase military visibility as a deterrent. Sabrina Singh, a Pentagon spokeswoman, said the deployment was in response to 'this continued threat' and aimed at improving monitoring capabilities.
Defence officials had earlier announced the deployment of F-16s over the past weekend, while A-10 attack aircraft have been in the area for nearly two weeks. The US Navy reported that in both recent incidents, Iranian naval vessels withdrew when the USS McFaul, a guided-missile destroyer, arrived on the scene.
The US Navy stated that Iran has seized at least five commercial vessels in the past two years and harassed more than a dozen others, many in and around the Strait of Hormuz, through which 20% of global crude oil passes. The USS Hudner had previously been stationed in the Red Sea.
