Iran also made a point to again show off its Abu Mahdi cruise missile, first unveiled in 2020, which could be used to targets ships at sea up to 1,000 kilometers (620 miles) away. “For years, Americans have been in and out of the region with pipe dreams, but the security of the region will only endure with the participation of the regional nations,” Mousavi said, according to Iranian state television. deployment would bring only “insecurity and damage” to the region. In recent days, Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amirabdollahian called his counterparts in both Kuwait and the United Arab Emirates to say that “we can have peace, stability and progress in the region without the presence of foreigners.” military hasn’t discussed precisely what it will be doing with the increased presence in the region, the movements have gotten Iran’s attention. Those vessels left Norfolk, Virginia, on July 10 on a mission the Pentagon described as being “in response to recent attempts by Iran to threaten the free flow of commerce in the Strait of Hormuz and its surrounding waters.” The Bataan passed through the Strait of Gibraltar into the Mediterranean Sea last week on its way to the Mideast. The deployment of thousands of Marines and sailors consists of both the USS Bataan and the USS Carter Hall, a landing ship. Now, America will have part of a Marine expeditionary unit in the region for the first time in nearly two years. Stealth F-35A Lightning II fighter jets arrived last week. The Pentagon ordered F-16 fighters, as well as the destroyer USS Thomas Hudner, to the region. In late March, A-10 Thunderbolt II warplanes arrived at Al Dhafra Air Base in the United Arab Emirates.

It conducted a Strait of Hormuz patrol with the top U.S., British and French naval commanders in the region on board. military has again begun dialing up its Mideast presence. Navy has responded with increased patrols. China continues its push to control more of the South China Sea, and the U.S. Russia’s war on Ukraine shifted some of the American focus back to Europe. Washington’s worries have changed since then. The last Marine expeditionary unit - an armada carrying Marines, aircraft and vehicles prepared for an amphibious assault - came through in November 2021. The USS Nimitz sailed out of the Strait of Hormuz in November 2020 as the last American carrier in the Persian Gulf. But slowly, the Pentagon began to wind down the naval presence, leaving a gap of months that brought gasps from Gulf Arab states and commentators worried about Iran.

Analysis of current us armed conflicts