The United States has strenghtened its military presence in the U.S. Central Command's area of responsibility, including deploying an additional Navy destroyer along with fighter jets.
The Pentagon cited "a number of recent, alarming events in the Strait of Hormuz" as the reason for reinforcing its military prowess in the strtegically important region.
The secretary of defense has ordered the deployment of the destroyer USS Thomas Hudner, F-35 fighters and F-16 fighters to the U.S. Central Command area of responsibility to defend U.S. interests and safeguard freedom of navigation in the region, Deputy Pentagon Press Secretary Sabrina Singh said at a news conference.
She told reporters that earlier this month, the Iranian navy attempted to illegally seize two merchant vessels in the Strait of Hormuz and the Gulf of Oman.
"One attempt included an Iranian navy ship firing upon the merchant vessel," Singh said. "In light of this continued threat and in coordination with our partners and allies, the department is increasing our presence and ability to monitor the strait and surrounding waters."
According to a news report from U.S. Central Command, on July 5, U.S. forces thwarted an attempt by the Iranian military to seize two commercial tanker ships in international waters near the coast of Oman.
According to Centcom, Iran has attacked or seized about 20 merchant vessels since 2021.
The U.S. Defense Department urged Iran to immediately cease destabilizing actions that threaten the free flow of commerce through the strategic waterway, on which the world depends for more than one fifh of global oil supply.
Meanwhile, U.S. Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin and Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen. Mark A. Milley will host a virtual meeting of the Ukraine Defense Contact Group from the Pentagon Tuesday.
They will join ministers of defense and chiefs of defense from nearly 50 nations to discuss the war in Ukraine and continue close coordination to provide Ukraine with security assistance, Singh said.
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