The United States intensifies its military deployment in the Middle East in response to hostile activities by Iran and Russia

On Monday 17 July, the Pentagon announced the deployment of additional F-35 and F-16 fighter jets, as well as a warship, to the Middle East to monitor the region's main waterways. The decision was taken in response to Iranian activities in the Strait of Hormuz. “In response to a number of alarming recent events in the Strait of Hormuz, the Secretary of Defense has ordered the deployment of the destroyer USS Thomas Hudner, F-35 fighters and F-16 fighters to the US Central Command area of responsibility to defend US interests and preserve freedom of navigation in the region”, said Sabrina Singh, Deputy Press Secretary at the Pentagon. 

Since 2019 and the rise of tensions between the United States and Iran, navigation in the strategic waters of the Gulf has been the subject of a series of attacks. On 5 July 2023, according to a US Navy statement, Iran had attempted to seize two tankers, TFR Moss and Richmond Voyager, near the strategic Strait of Hormuz. The Navy reportedly received a distress call from the latter tanker, which was located near the coast of Muscat, the capital of Oman, after being stopped by an Iranian vessel. Before the US McFaul destroyer arrived on the scene, Iranian personnel had already fired several bursts of small arms fire.

According to the US Navy, Iran has already seized at least five commercial vessels in the last two years and harassed more than a dozen others around the Strait of Hormuz. These attacks are all the more worrying given that this narrow mouth of the Persian Gulf is a crucial waterway for the world's energy supply; 20% of all crude oil transits through it.  

This is not the first deployment of US military equipment on Middle Eastern territory since the resumption of Iranian-American tensions in the Persian Gulf. Several US deployments, including patrol boats and helicopters, were made after an Iranian attack in early December 2022 against US Navy vessels and the Iranian seizure of a pilotless US Army research vessel in the Strait of Hormuz last August. Following the attacks in early July, Washington deployed the USS McFaul missile destroyer, an MQ-9 Reaper drone and a P-8 Poseidon patrol aircraft. In total, Iran is believed to have harassed, attacked or obstructed the navigation rights of fifteen commercial vessels over the past two years, according to Israel National News. 

Moreover, according to Al-Arabiya, A-10 fighter jets have already been flying over the Straits of Hormuz for a week, while a fleet of F-22 Raptors fighter jets was dispatched last month in response to Russia's dangerous and unprofessional behaviour in Syria. Indeed, since March, Russian military activity has actively increased, both in frequency and aggressiveness. This is the result of growing cooperation and coordination between Moscow, Tehran and the Syrian government of Bashar al-Assad, which is trying to put pressure on the United States to leave Syria.

According to the US defence official, the deployment of F-16s would provide air cover for ships moving through the waterway and increase the army's visibility in the area, to deter Iranian operations. The US is also said to be considering a number of military operations to deal with growing Russian aggression in Syrian skies, which is hampering the US counter-terrorist fight in Syria. 

Since the United States withdrew from the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) agreement under the Trump administration in 2015, tensions between Tehran and Washington have continued to rise. Despite the sanctions, Iran has stepped up its nuclear activities, which it claims are purely peaceful, which is worrying the US authorities. Moreover, Iran's position in the war in Ukraine, as the main supplier of armed drones to Russia, is all the more worrying for the United States. 

Today, Joe Biden's administration is struggling to relaunch discussions on a new JCPOA. According to US estimations, Tehran would be capable of producing the fissile materials needed to build a bomb in a dozen days. Although Iran denies that it wants to acquire nuclear weapons, many countries, including Israel and the Gulf Arab states, feel increasingly threatened by their Persian neighbour. 

Americas Coordinator: José Antonio Sierra.