US deploying destroyer, warplanes to deter Iran ship seizures

The United States is deploying the destroyer USS Thomas Hudner as well as F-35 and F-16 warplanes to the Middle East to deter Iran from seizing ships in the Gulf, the US Department of Defence (Pentagon) said Monday (July 17).

The move came after the Iranian navy tried to seize two merchant vessels in the Strait of Hormuz and the Gulf of Oman earlier this month, in one incident opening fire at one of the merchant vessels.

US forces on July 5 participated in preventing the two vessels from being seized by the Iranian military in international waters near the coast of Oman.

One of those ships, the Marshall Islands-flagged oil tanker TRF Moss, was approached by an Iranian naval vessel, but the vessel departed after the arrival of the US Navy guided-missile destroyer USS McFaul.

The Bahamian-flagged oil tanker Richmond Voyager was approached the same day by an Iranian naval vessel that got within one mile of it and fired on it using small arms and crew-served weapons, the Pentagon said.

The Iranian vessel departed when the USS McFaul arrived on the scene.

Iran has attacked or seized about 20 merchant vessels since 2021, according to the US military's Central Command (CENTCOM).

In April and early May, Iran seized two tankers within a week in regional waters, and Tehran also was accused of launching a drone attack against a tanker off the coast of Oman in November 2022.

"In light of this continued threat and in co-ordination with our partners and allies, the department is increasing our presence and ability to monitor the Strait and surrounding waters," Pentagon official Sabrina Singh said Monday.

"We call upon Iran to immediately cease these destabilising actions that threaten the free flow of commerce through this strategic waterway, of which the world depends on for more than one fifth of the world's oil supply," Singh said.

Deterring Iranian attacks

The USS Thomas Hudner, a US Navy guided-missile destroyer, arrived at the Navy's 5th Fleet headquarters in Bahrain last week after passing through the Suez Canal, Al-Monitor reported.

Over the weekend, the US Air Force began flying newly arrived F-16s on patrols over the Gulf to watch over commercial shipping, the media outlet said.

On Friday, a senior defence official said the United States was flying A-10 Warthog warplanes over the Gulf, armed "with the kinds of munitions that would be useful to go against fast boats and moving targets".

As Iranian "fast attack boats, fast attack craft have increased as a maritime threat, we've tried a number of different ways to tackle them. And the A-10 has proven capable of that", the official added.

On the maritime front, Iran has been testing the limits, a senior US defence official speaking on background said Saturday.

"We are working closely between the maritime and air components to ensure that there's adequate air cover, that there's adequate maritime surface presence in order to deter Iran from going after oil tankers," the official said.

In addition to the A-10s flying over the Strait of Hormuz and Gulf, "we are starting to fly F-16s this weekend as well, to further robust that presence".