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Roughly 40,000 American troops are stationed across the Middle East, mostly in countries with close ties to the United States. There were more than 160,000 American troops in Iraq alone in 2007, during the war that followed the U.S. invasion. Image Al Asad Air Base in western Iraq in 2019. Credit... Nasser Nasser/Associated PressWhy are so many troops there? A military coalition led by the United States, including forces in Syria and Iraq, defeated it. President Biden has retaliated with attacks on Iran-aligned militants, hitting groups in Iraq, Syria and Yemen.

Persons: Jan, Al, Nasser Nasser, Biden, Israel —, Al Tanf, ” Gen, Hossein Organizations: U.S, Al Asad, Al Asad Air Base, Hezbollah, Army, Air Force, Washington, Operations, Navy’s, U.S . Central Command, Associated, Islamic, U.S ., Pentagon, ”, Iran’s Revolutionary Guards Corps Locations: Jordan, Iraq, United States, State, U.S, Al Asad Air, Iraq’s, Syria, Lebanon, Iran, Azraq, Kuwait, Bahrain, Qatar, Gaza, Afghanistan, Ukraine, Russia, China, American, Islamic State, Mosul, Raqqa, Israel, Yemen

☆ Trafigura assesses Red Sea risks after tanker attacked by Houthis
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-28 | by ( ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +3 min

Commodities trader Trafigura said on Saturday it was assessing the security risks of further Red Sea voyages after firefighters put out a blaze on a tanker attacked by Yemen's Houthi group a day earlier. The Houthi attacks have primarily targeted container vessels moving through the Red Sea. A notable exception is QatarEnergy, the world's second largest exporter of liquefied natural gas, which earlier this month stopped sending tankers via the Red Sea, citing security concerns. The Marshall Islands-flagged Marlin Luanda issued a distress call on Friday and reported damage, U.S. Central Command said in a post on X, formerly Twitter. About eight hours after the Marlin Luanda incident, the U.S. military destroyed a Houthi anti-ship missile that was aimed into the Red Sea and ready to launch, Central Command said.

Persons: Trafigura, Yemen's, Trafigura's, Marlin, Carney, Ras Issa Organizations: Djibouti . Commodities, U.S . Navy, Marshall, U.S . Central Command, Indian Navy, British, Houthi, U.S, Central Command, Britain, U.S . Fifth Fleet, British Defence Ministry Locations: Djibouti, U.S, Trafigura, Aden, Gulf, Africa, Gaza, Visakhapatnam, Yemen, United States, Ras, Yemen's

☆ Iran-backed groups in the Middle East and major US military deployments
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-24 | by ( Nadeen Ebrahim | Abbas Allawati | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +10 min

The US has attacked Iranian-backed groups in Yemen, Syria and Iraq, while Iran-linked groups have targeted American personnel in Iraq and Syria. The US, having been trying to pivot away from the Middle East for years, finds itself drawn back into the region. And in some places, including Iraq and Syria, the US military presence overlaps that of Iran and its allies. The US has around 13,500 US forces in Kuwait, the largest American military presence in the region. The US this month quietly reached an agreement that extends its military presence for another 10 years at the base.

Persons: Yemen’s, Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah, Harakat, Sayyid, Al, Haq, Asad, Bashar al, Assad, Israel, Ali, Dalton Williams Organizations: UAE CNN, Hamas, Islamic, Navy, Marine Expeditionary Unit, Institute for National Security, Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, National Intelligence, Badr Organization, Asad Air Base, Erbil AB, Al, Force, Fatemiyoun, ISIS, Syria Security, Syrian Democratic Forces, Syrian Free Army, CNN, Gaza, US Air Force, Battalion, 163rd Cavalry Regiment, Ali Al Salem Air Base, U.S . Air Force, Washington, United Arab, US, Udeid, Base, Forward Headquarters, Combined Air Operations Centre, Prince Sultan Air Base, UAE, Al Dhafra, Al Dhafra Air Base, Gulf Air Warfare Center, US Naval Forces Central Command Locations: Abu Dhabi, UAE, Israel, Iran, US, Iranian, Yemen, Syria, Iraq, Tehran, Pakistan, Islamic Republic, Washington, Lebanon Lebanon, East, Lebanon, Gaza, Tel Aviv, Iraq Tehran, Baghdad, Al, Erbil, Syria Iran, Syrian, Pakistani, ”, Red, Saudi, Yemen’s, Kuwait, U.S, Palestinian, Arab, Turkey, Saudi Arabia, United Arab Emirates, Germany, Japan, South Korea, Qatar, Doha, Al Dhafra Air, Bahrain, Jordan, Incirlik

☆ Red Sea risk to oil 'very real,' prices could change rapidly if supply disrupted, Chevron CEO says
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-16 | by ( Spencer Kimball | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

The Chevron CEO said he was surprised that U.S. crude oil was trading below $73 a barrel because the "risks are very real." Shell suspends Red Sea shipmentsThe British oil major Shell has suspended shipments through the Red Sea, people familiar with the matter told The Wall Street Journal Tuesday. Shell's decision to halt shipments through the crucial trade chokepoint comes about a month after BP paused transits through the Red Sea. Several major tanker companies, which transport petroleum products such as gasoline as well as crude oil, halted traffic toward the Red Sea on Friday. The militants on Tuesday launched an antiship ballistic missile that struck a Maltese-flagged bulk carrier in the Red Sea, according to U.S. Central Command.

Persons: Michael Wirth, " Wirth, Wirth, Shell, Houthi, CENTCOM, Sullivan Organizations: Chevron, CNBC, Economic, U.S, Navy's, Shell, Red, Wall, BP, Tuesday, U.S . Central Command Locations: East, Davos, Switzerland, Yemen, Iran, Red, Gaza, The U.S, Britain, Maltese, U.S

☆ U.S. launches Operation Prosperity Guardian to defend Red Sea shipping lanes from Houthi attacks
▼ + stars: | 2023-12-18 | by ( Rebecca Picciotto | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +1 min

U.S. officials on Monday expanded a multinational maritime force in the Red Sea to defend against escalating attacks from the Iran-backed Houthi rebels, which have impeded international shipping routes. The new defense, named Operation Prosperity Guardian, builds on the power of the Combined Maritime Forces, a 39-member international coalition. A subdivision of the forces, called Task Force 153 is dedicated to the Red Sea. Oil giant BP announced Monday it would temporarily suspend its shipping in the Red Sea, joining companies like shipping firms Maersk, MSC and others. Operation Prosperity Guardian will aim to deter further Houthi attacks as the U.S. eyes potential flare-ups of regional conflict amid the Israel-Hamas war.

Persons: Lloyd Austin, hadn't, John Kirby Organizations: Prosperity, Combined Maritime Forces, U.S . Navy Fifth Fleet, Security, Task Force, BP, Maersk, MSC Locations: Sana'a, Yemen, U.S, Iran, Bahrain, Suez, Red, Israel

☆ S&P revises Bahrain's outlook to 'stable' on fiscal deficit worries
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-24 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

General view of Bahrain World Trade Center is seen during early evening hours in Manama, Bahrain, May 2, 2020. REUTERS/Hamad I Mohammed/File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsNov 24 (Reuters) - S&P Global Ratings on Friday revised Bahrain's outlook to "stable" from "positive", citing spending pressures that could push the country's fiscal deficit wider than the credit ratings agency previously expected. "We expect the government will reinvigorate reforms to consolidate its fiscal position, largely via increasing non-oil revenue through 2026," it said in a statement. The agency now projects fiscal deficits of 3% to 4% of Bahrain's GDP over 2023-26, compared with 2% to 3% in its previous review. S&P peer Fitch affirmed Bahrain at 'B+' with stable outlook in July, while Moody's changed Bahrain's outlook to stable from negative and affirmed B2 ratings in April last year.

Persons: Hamad I Mohammed, Fitch, Moody's, Vedant Vinayak Vichare, Devika Syamnath, Arun Koyyur Organizations: Bahrain World Trade, REUTERS, Navy's, Thomson Locations: Bahrain, Manama, Bengaluru

☆ Bahrain seeks to balance anger over Gaza with ties to Israel, US
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-24 | by ( Alexander Cornwell | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +7 min

The deal to normalise ties with Israel, signed in 2020 by Bahrain when Donald Trump was president, brought few business benefits to Bahrain, unlike those it offered United Arab Emirates, a regional commercial hub which signed at the same time. Six sources familiar with the matter told Reuters Bahrain would not abandon its ties with Israel, even though parliament - a body that remains subservient to the monarchy - has made a strident statement suggesting Israel relations were in the freezer. Bahrain is trying to preserve the relationship with Israel while also managing public opinion, one of the sources said. "They can't abandon normalisation with Israel without endangering this whole strategic framework," said Kristin Smith Diwan, a researcher at the Arab Gulf States Institute in Washington. The sources said the public confusion over relations with Israel appeared to have eased pressure on the government in its efforts to balance domestic outrage and ties with Israel.

Persons: Hamad I Mohammed, Donald Trump, Kristin Smith Diwan, Abraham, Israel, Mamdooh Al Saleh, Smith, Tobias Lindner, Alexander Cornwell, Maha El, Ari Rabinovitch, Dan Williams, Michael Georgy, William Maclean Organizations: Hamas, REUTERS, Rare, U.S . Navy Fifth Fleet, United, Reuters, Gulf States Institute, Bahraini, Abraham, Islamic, Abraham Accords, Thomson Locations: Israel, Palestinian, Muharraq, Bahrain, MANAMA, Gaza, Gulf, United States, Iran, Manama, United Arab Emirates, Reuters Bahrain, Washington, UAE, Saudi Arabia, Bahraini, Jerusalem, Bahrainis, Tehran, Islamic Republic, East, U.S, Kingdom of Bahrain, Maha El Dahan, Dubai

☆ UAE warns against risk of regional spillover from Gaza war
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-03 | by ( Alexander Cornwell | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

[1/2] Israeli soldiers drive in military vehicles by Israel's border with Gaza in southern Israel, October 10, 2023. "The risk of regional spillover and further escalation is real, as well as the risk that extremist groups will take advantage of the situation to advance ideologies that will keep us locked in cycles of violence." The UAE supported Egypt's current leader, Abdel Fattah al-Sisi, when he toppled President Mohamed Mursi of the Muslim Brotherhood in 2013. The UAE has said it planned to treat 1,000 Palestinian children from Gaza, but did not clarify how they would leave the besieged enclave. The latest war in the decades-old Israeli-Palestinian conflict began when Hamas militants broke through the border on Oct. 7 and went on a rampage.

Persons: Ronen, Abraham, ABU, Al Kaabi, Abdel Fattah al, Mohamed Mursi, Kaabi, Alexander Cornwell, Maha El, Raju Gopalakrishnan, Jason Neely Organizations: REUTERS, UAE, Abraham Accords, United, Emirates, Brotherhood, Hamas, U.S . Fifth, Thomson Locations: Gaza, Israel, East, UAE, ABU DHABI, Saudi Arabia, Abu Dhabi, Bahrain, Manama, Gulf

[1/3] A U.S army soldier stands with his weapon at a military base in the Makhmour area near Mosul during an operation to attack Islamic State militants in Mosul, Iraq, October 18, 2016. A U.S. military official, speaking on condition of anonymity, did not specifically say what might trigger the evacuation of U.S. military families, who are deployed to Middle East locations including Bahrain, home to the U.S. Navy's Fifth Fleet. Senior Biden administration officials including Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin have warned of the risk of major escalation in attacks on American troops in the Middle East and that Iran could seek to widen the Israel-Hamas war. Austin has ordered new air defenses to the Middle East to safeguard troops, including a Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) system. Iranian security officials told Reuters Iran's strategy was for Middle East proxies like Hezbollah to pursue limited strikes on Israeli and U.S. targets but to avoid a major escalation that would draw in Tehran.

Persons: Alaa, Michael, Erik, Kurilla, Asad, Lloyd Austin, Austin, John Kirby, Kirby, Phil Stewart, Chizu Organizations: Islamic, REUTERS, Rights, U.S, Reuters, U.S . Army, U.S . Central Command, American, Navy's, Senior Biden, Defense, Pentagon, Area Defense, United, Thomson Locations: U.S, Makhmour, Mosul, Iraq, Iran, Syria, Israel, Gaza, Yemen, Iranian, Middle East, Bahrain, United States, Tehran

☆ Iran's Middle East allies primed as Israel-Hamas war rages
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-18 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +5 min

Iran's Revolutionary Guards warned on Oct. 17 of further action by Tehran's allies against Israel if it did not cease its attacks. Since the war erupted on Oct. 7, the Iran-backed Lebanese group Hezbollah has already mounted operations against Israel, while others have threatened U.S. interests. Hezbollah has trained paramilitary groups in Syria and Iraq and inspired other forces such as Yemen's Iran-allied Houthis. Other Iran-backed Shi'ite groups backed by Tehran have played a vital combat role in Syria, including groups from Afghanistan and Iraq. Iran-backed forces have deployed across much of government-held Syria during the war, including at the Iraqi border and near the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights.

Persons: Israel, Bashar al, Assad, Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah, YEMEN Yemen's, Tom Perry, Edmund Blair Organizations: Palestinian, Hamas, Hezbollah, Israel, Party, Iran's, Guards, United, . Marine, U.S, Popular, Forces, Reuters, SYRIA Iran's Revolutionary Guards, The U.S . Fifth Fleet, Revolutionary Guards, U.S . Navy, Thomson Locations: BEIRUT, Israel, Tehran, Iran, Lebanese, LEBANON, Lebanon, Syria, Iraq, . Washington, United States, Beirut, IRAQ, U.S, State, SYRIA, Afghanistan, Golan Heights, YEMEN, Gaza, Saudi, Yemen, Saudi Arabia, The, Bahrain, Gulf of Oman

☆ Factbox-Iran's Middle East Allies Primed as Israel-Hamas War Rages
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-18 | by ( Oct. | At A.M. | ) www.usnews.com time to read: +5 min

Since the war erupted on Oct. 7, the Iran-backed Lebanese group Hezbollah has already mounted operations against Israel, while others have threatened U.S. interests. Hezbollah has trained paramilitary groups in Syria and Iraq and inspired other forces such as Yemen's Iran-allied Houthis. Other Iran-backed Shi'ite groups backed by Tehran have played a vital combat role in Syria, including groups from Afghanistan and Iraq. Iran-backed forces have deployed across much of government-held Syria during the war, including at the Iraqi border and near the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights. Israel has mounted airstrikes targeting Iranian and Iran-backed forces.

Persons: Israel, Bashar al, Assad, Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah, YEMEN Yemen's, Tom Perry, Edmund Blair Organizations: Palestinian, Hamas, Hezbollah, Israel, Party, Iran's, Guards, United, . Marine, U.S, Popular, Forces, Reuters, SYRIA Iran's Revolutionary Guards, The U.S . Fifth Fleet, Revolutionary Guards, U.S . Navy Locations: BEIRUT, Israel, Tehran, Iran, Lebanese, LEBANON, Lebanon, Syria, Iraq, . Washington, United States, Beirut, IRAQ, U.S, State, SYRIA, Afghanistan, Golan Heights, YEMEN, Gaza, Saudi, Yemen, Saudi Arabia, The, Bahrain, Gulf of Oman

☆ Biden’s Gulf allies want an ‘ironclad’ security pact with the US. Here’s what it might look like
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-02 | by ( Nadeen Ebrahim | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +8 min

“They (the Americans) don’t want to see Saudi Arabia shifting their armament from America to another place,” Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman (MBS) told Fox News’ Bret Baier in an interview last month. Gulf states have over the past few years faced attacks they have blamed on Iran and its proxies, and have found the US’ response to them inadequate. Among the Gulf states, Bahrain, which hosts the US Navy’s Fifth Fleet, was the first to be declared a MNNA in 2002. It is however unclear if the US would commit to a treaty that would require it to come to the Gulf states’ defense in case of attack. The president can offer some concessions without Senate ratification, he said, but that won’t meet Gulf states’ requirements.

Persons: Biden, don’t, Prince Mohammed bin Salman, Bret Baier, Anwar Gargash, ”, ” Ali Shihabi, Saudi Arabia’s, Israel –, Joe Biden, Jean, Loup, David Des Roches, ” Des Roches, Washington’s, Gargash, Des Roches, Samaan, “ Organizations: UAE CNN, United, United States ’, United Arab Emirates, Fox News, US, Hoover Institution, Stanford University, Saudi, Washington, MBS, Gulf, NATO Allies, NATO, Fifth, US Central Command, Middle East Institute of, National University of Singapore, “, Autonomy, East South Asia Center for Security Studies, Pentagon, Senate, ”, CNN Locations: Abu Dhabi, UAE, United States, Washington, East, Saudi Arabia, America, Saudi, New York, Iran, U.S, Israel, Japan, South Korea, Tokyo, Seoul, Bahrain, Qatar, China, Russia, Gulf

Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman receives U.S. President Joe Biden at Al Salman Palace upon his arrival in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, July 15, 2022. Washington could also sweeten any deal by designating Saudi Arabia a Major Non-NATO Ally, a status already given to Israel, the U.S. source said. "Saudi Arabia supports a peace plan for the Palestinians, but this time it wanted something for Saudi Arabia, not just for the Palestinians." SEEKING ISRAELI COMMITMENTSIsrael's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has hailed the possibility of a "historic" peace with Saudi Arabia, the heartland of Islam. Yet, even if the U.S, Israel and Saudi Arabia agree, winning support from lawmakers in the U.S. Congress remains a challenge.

Persons: Prince Mohammed bin Salman, Joe Biden, NATO Ally, Biden, Washington, Benjamin Netanyahu, Netanyahu, Mahmoud Abbas, Jamal Khashoggi, China, Samia Nakhoul, James Mackenzie, Dan Williams, Ali Sawafta, Aziz El Yaacouby, Steve Holland, Matt Spetalnick, Humeyra Pamuk, Patricia Zengerle, Edmund Blair Organizations: Al, Saudi Royal Court, REUTERS Acquire, Defence, NATO, Saudi, U.S, U.S . Navy Fifth, Saudi Arabia, U.S . State Department, U.S . Atomic Energy, Israel's, MbS, Fox, Israel, West Bank, Palestinian Authority, West, Biden's Democratic Party, Washington Post, Congress, Thomson Locations: Saudi, Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, Bandar, Bahrain, Washington, Israel, United States, U.S, Riyadh, Iran, Tehran, Japan, Egypt, West Bank, East Jerusalem, Yemen, Beijing, Dubai, Jerusalmen

☆ U.S. Deepens Security Pledge to Bahrain, an Adversary of Iran
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-13 | by ( Vivian Nereim | More About Vivian Nereim | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

The Biden administration signed a security agreement with the Gulf kingdom of Bahrain on Wednesday, deepening its commitment to defend the authoritarian country from attacks. The format of the agreement could serve as a template for other Gulf Arab governments that have demanded stronger security guarantees from the United States, including the United Arab Emirates and Saudi Arabia. Bahrain — an island nation that is home to the U.S. Navy’s Fifth Fleet — has a particularly tense relationship with Iran, located across the Persian Gulf. Under the new agreement, if the kingdom were attacked, the United States would consult with the Bahraini government and determine the best way to “confront the ongoing aggression,” said a senior Biden administration official, who briefed journalists on the condition of anonymity. One of the provisions in the agreement allows Bahrain and the United States to invite other countries to join the pact, the official said.

Persons: —, ” Organizations: Biden, United Arab, Navy’s, Bahraini Locations: Bahrain, United States, United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia, Iran, Persian, United

☆ Faced With Evolving Threats, U.S. Navy Struggles to Change
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-04 | by ( Eric Lipton | More About Eric Lipton | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

One, the T-38 Devil Ray, which can reach speeds of up to 90 miles per hour — faster than just about any other vessel in the Navy — was awaiting its next assignment. Alongside it was the Ocean Aero Triton, whose solar-power system allows it to operate for three months at a time without any need to refuel. He said he found enormous enthusiasm for the idea among frontline commanders in the Pacific and the Middle East. “We are trying to improve Navy power, but we need to do more than that: We need to reimagine Navy power,” he said in an interview this summer, just after retiring from the Navy. It is vital that we throw off old conventions.”

Persons: Ray, Navy —, Devil Ray, Admiral Selby, ” Organizations: Navy, Triton, Naval Research Locations: Asia, Persian, Bahrain, San Diego, Pacific

☆ U.S.-led naval group warns ships to avoid Iranian waters to avoid seizure
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-13 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

Attendees hold flags from Iran and the United States as Iranian Americans from across California converge in Los Angeles, California, U.S., January 11, 2020. REUTERS/ Patrick T. Fallon/ File PhotoDUBAI, Aug 13 (Reuters) - A U.S.-led naval coalition in the Gulf has warned ships in the region to stay away from Iranian waters to avoid possible seizure, the U.S. Navy said. "The International Maritime Security Construct is notifying regional mariners of appropriate precautions to minimise the risk of seizure based on current regional tensions, which we seek to de-escalate," Commander Timothy Hawkins, spokesman for the Bahrain-based U.S. Fifth Fleet, said late on Saturday. "Vessels are being advised to transit as far away from Iranian territorial waters as possible." The United States would release some Iranians from U.S. prisons as part of the deal, Iran's mission to the United Nations has said.

Persons: Patrick T, Timothy Hawkins, Yousef Saba, William Mallard Organizations: REUTERS, U.S . Navy, Fifth Fleet, United Nations, Thomson Locations: Iran, United States, California, Los Angeles , California, U.S, DUBAI, Hormuz, Washington, Tehran, South Korea, Bahrain, Oman, United

An Iranian navy vessel fired shots during the second seizure attempt, Navy Fifth Fleet spokesperson Timothy Hawkins said. British maritime security company Ambrey said a warship with a multinational navy task group was in the area at the time and had requested the Iranian navy to "cease harassing" one of the merchant ships. Iran seized two oil tankers in a week just over a month ago, the U.S. Navy said. Refinitiv ship-tracking data shows the Richmond Voyager previously docked in Ras Tannoura in eastern Saudi Arabia before Wednesday's incident in the Gulf of Oman. The Richmond Voyager was sailing away from the Gulf with Singapore listed as its destination, Refinitiv ship tracking showed.

Persons: Timothy Hawkins, Hawkins, Ambrey, IRNA, Lisa Barrington, Jonathan Saul, Rami Ayyub, Jason Neely, David Holmes Organizations: U.S . Navy, Chevron, Richmond Voyager, Navy Fifth Fleet, Reuters, Marshall, Suez, Dubai, Thomson Locations: DUBAI, Iran, Gulf of Oman, U.S, Iranian, Oman, United States, Hormuz, Ras Tannoura, Saudi Arabia, Gulf, Singapore, Marshall Islands, Greece, U.S . Gulf, Mexico, Galveston, Washington

☆ Why Iran keeps seizing oil tankers in the Strait of Hormuz
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-01 | by ( Brad Howard | In | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +1 min

Over the last decade, Iran has been causing more and more headaches for oil tanker operators in the Strait of Hormuz, a central artery of global trade. In the last two years alone, Iran has harassed, attacked or interfered with 15 internationally flagged merchant vessels. This critical waterway separates the Persian Gulf from the Arabian Sea, which makes it an important conduit for millions of barrels of oil that flow through the region. In response to Iranian ship seizures, the U.S. Navy's Fifth Fleet, which is responsible for security in the region, announced an increase in patrols. That included the guided-missile destroyer USS Paul Hamilton transiting the strait in late May.

Persons: Trump, Arona Baigal, Paul Hamilton, Victoria Coates Organizations: Middle East Security, Center, New, Navy's, Heritage Foundation, U.S Locations: Iran, Strait, Hormuz, New American, Iranian, U.S

☆ US military to bolster defensive posture in Gulf after Iran seizes tankers
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-12 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

WASHINGTON, May 12 (Reuters) - The U.S. military will work to bolster the defensive posture in the Gulf region following Iran's seizure and harassment of commercial shipping vessels in recent months, U.S. officials said on Friday. In the past two years, Iran has harassed, attacked or interfered with the navigational rights of 15 internationally flagged commercial vessels, officials said. "The Department of Defense will be making a series of moves to bolster our defensive posture in the Arabian Gulf," White House spokesperson John Kirby told a news briefing. The U.S. Navy said on May 3 the Panama-flagged oil tanker Niovi was seized by Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps Navy while passing through the Strait of Hormuz. Days earlier, Iran had seized a Marshall Islands-flagged oil tanker in the Gulf of Oman.

☆ Iran seizes second oil tanker in a week in Gulf, US Navy says
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-03 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

DUBAI, May 3 (Reuters) - Iran has seized a second oil tanker in a week on Wednesday in Gulf waters, the U.S. Navy said, the latest escalation in a series of seizures or attacks on commercial vessels in Gulf waters since 2019. In Iran's first response, Tehran's prosecutor announced the oil tanker was seized on a judicial order following a complaint by a plaintiff, the judiciary's Mizan news agency said. The incident comes after Iran on Thursday seized a Marshall Islands-flagged oil tanker in the Gulf of Oman called the Advantage Sweet. The Niovi oil tanker seized on Wednesday had been travelling from Dubai toward the UAE's Fujairah port when it was forced by IRGCN boats to change course towards Iranian territorial waters, the Navy said. Since 2019, there have been a series of attacks on shipping in the strategic Gulf waters at times of tension between the United States and Iran.

☆ Iran Seizes U.S.-Bound Oil Tanker
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-27 | by ( Costas Paris | Aresu Eqbali | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

The oil tanker Advantage Sweet in Turkey earlier this year. Photo: YORUK ISIK/REUTERSIran’s naval forces on Thursday seized an oil tanker bound for Texas in the Gulf of Oman, a move that drew condemnation from the U.S. military at a time of heightened tensions between Tehran and Washington. The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps Navy seized the tanker, Advantage Sweet, while it moved through international waters at 1:15 p.m. local time, U.S. Naval Forces Central Command said. The U.S. Fifth Fleet, which is tasked with monitoring maritime activity in the area, is monitoring the situation, according to U.S. naval forces.

☆ Iran seizes oil tanker in Gulf, U.S. Navy says
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-27 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +5 min

[1/4] Marshall Islands-flagged oil tanker Advantage Sweet, which, according to Refinitiv ship tracking data, is a Suezmax crude tanker which had been chartered by oil major Chevron and had last docked in Kuwait, sails at Marmara sea near Istanbul, Turkey January 10, 2023. Iran's army said it had seized a Marshall Islands-flagged oil tanker in the Gulf of Oman after it collided with an Iranian boat, injuring several crewmen, Iranian state media reported. The vessel's destination was listed as the U.S. Gulf of Mexico port of Houston, ship tracking data showed. Iran last November released two Greek-flagged tankers it seized in the Gulf in May in response to the confiscation of oil by the United States from an Iranian-flagged tanker off the Greek coast. The U.S. Navy, whose Fifth Fleet is based at the Gulf island state of Bahrain, called on Iran to immediately release the tanker.

☆ Iran says its navy forces U.S. submarine to surface as it enters the Gulf
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-20 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

DUBAI, April 20 (Reuters) - Iran's navy forced a U.S. submarine to surface as it entered the Gulf, Iranian navy commander Shahram Irani told state television on Thursday, in the latest report of an apparent confrontation between Iranian and U.S. forces in the Gulf. "The U.S. submarine was approaching while submerged, but the Iranian submarine Fateh detected it and carried out... manoeuvres to force it to surface as it went through the Strait (of Hormuz). It had also entered into our territorial waters but ... it corrected its course after being warned," Irani said. In early April, the Iranian navy said it identified and warned off a U.S. reconnaissance plane outside the mouth of the Gulf. In 2019, Iran shot down a U.S. drone which it said was flying over southern Iran.

☆ U.S. Navy sends guided-missile submarine to Middle East - statement
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-08 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: 1 min

April 8 (Reuters) - The U.S. Navy said on Saturday a nuclear-powered guided-missile submarine was operating in the Middle East in support of the Bahrain-based U.S. Fifth Fleet. The USS Florida entered the region on Thursday and began transiting the Suez Canal, Commander Timothy Hawkins said in a statement. "It is capable of carrying up to 154 Tomahawk land-attack cruise missiles and is deployed to U.S. 5th Fleet to help ensure regional maritime security and stability," Hawkins said. Reporting By Lisa Barrington; Editing by William MallardOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

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