The commander overseeing US naval forces in the Middle East said that American intelligence showing a threat from Iran will not prevent him from sending an aircraft carrier through the vital Strait of Hormuz, if needed, Reuters reported.
Vice Admiral Jim Malloy, commander of the US Navy’s Bahrain-based Fifth Fleet, did not say whether he would send the USS Abraham Lincoln carrier strike group into the strategic waterway off Iran, through which passes a fifth of oil consumed globally.
“If I need to bring it inside the strait, I will do so,” Malloy said in an interview by phone. “I’m not restricted in any way, I’m not challenged in any way, to operate her anywhere in the Middle East.”.
As reported earlier, the United States introduced new sanctions against Iran, which affected the metallurgical industry. Earlier, Washington announced that it was sending aircraft carriers and bombers to the Middle East as a warning to Tehran. The US administration claims that Tehran allegedly prepared attacks on the US military in the
region.
The day before Trump did not rule out military confrontation with Iran. However, he called on the Iranian leaders to sit down at the negotiating table and discuss the new deal.
