WASHINGTON – The United States said Friday it was sending reinforcements to the Gulf after Iran escalated harassment of ships in the oil-rich waters.
“The Department of Defense will be taking a number of steps to strengthen our defensive posture,” National Security Council spokesman John Kirby told reporters, adding that “there will be details on those reinforcements in the coming days.”
The US Navy’s Fifth Fleet, based in Bahrain, said in a statement that it was “working with regional allies and partners to increase the rotation of ships and aircraft” that patrol the Strait of Hormuz, a key chokepoint in the Gulf.
Kirby said Iran, which has strained relations with the United States — although it has recently been repairing ties with Arab neighbors — has “harassed, attacked” 15 internationally flagged merchant ships over the past 15 years. or interference”.
“We have repeatedly seen Iran’s threats, arms seizures, and attacks against commercial shippers exercising their navigational rights and freedoms in international waters and the region’s strategic waterways,” Kirby said.
“The United States will not allow foreign or regional powers to threaten freedom of navigation through Middle East waterways, including the Strait of Hormuz,” he said.
