US ‘Deterrence’ Forces Approach ‘Hormuz’ Following Iran's Threats

In this image obtained from the US Central Command, US Air Force A-10s fly over the USS McFaul during operations in the Gulf, on August 15, 2023. (Photo by Handout / US Central Command (CENTCOM) / AFP)
In this image obtained from the US Central Command, US Air Force A-10s fly over the USS McFaul during operations in the Gulf, on August 15, 2023. (Photo by Handout / US Central Command (CENTCOM) / AFP)
TT
20

US ‘Deterrence’ Forces Approach ‘Hormuz’ Following Iran's Threats

In this image obtained from the US Central Command, US Air Force A-10s fly over the USS McFaul during operations in the Gulf, on August 15, 2023. (Photo by Handout / US Central Command (CENTCOM) / AFP)
In this image obtained from the US Central Command, US Air Force A-10s fly over the USS McFaul during operations in the Gulf, on August 15, 2023. (Photo by Handout / US Central Command (CENTCOM) / AFP)

The United States is boosting its military presence in Gulf waters to deter Iran's increasing threats to ships and oil tankers, in a step aimed at enhancing Washington’s role in protecting the strategic region.

After arriving earlier this week in the Gulf of Oman, the USS Bataan and the USS Carter approached the Strait of Hormuz, boarding about 3,000 US soldiers to join the US bases in the Gulf.

US-led maritime forces are warning ships against approaching Iranian waters.

The moves follow a spate of seizure and attempted seizure of ships in and around the Strait of Hormuz, the gateway to the Gulf of Oman and the Arabian Sea that holds a fifth of world oil output.

The spokesman for the US Navy's Fifth Fleet, Commander Tim Hawkins, said that there is a “heightened threat and risk to regional mariners in terms of seizures” by Iran in the strait.

"Right now, our focus is on ... increasing our presence in and near the Strait of Hormuz to ensure security and stability in a critical waterway," Hawkins told AFP at the US naval base in Bahrain.

The attacks on tankers came during troubled relations between Washington and its Gulf allies, who have long relied on US protection for their oil assets and chafed at a perceived military drawdown.

According to the US military, Iran has seized or attempted to take nearly 20 ships in the region in the past two years.

Most recently, Washington said its forces prevented two Iranian attempts to seize commercial tankers in international waters off Oman on July 5.

Iran seized two tankers within a week in regional waters in April and May.

Last Friday, the US-led naval coalition in the Gulf region warned ships sailing in the Strait of Hormuz to “transit as far away” from Iran’s waters as possible to avoid being detained.

A few days earlier, Washington announced the arrival of more than 3,000 US Marines and sailors to the Middle East on board warships as part of a plan to boost the military presence in the region, which it confirmed aims to deter Iran from seizing ships and oil tankers.

According to Hawkins, the military build-up provides Washington with "more robust forces where needed," noting that the new elements have joined more than 30,000 US soldiers stationed in various regions of the Middle East.

Although the US previously sent troop reinforcements to the Gulf, including in 2019, as a response to Iran tensions, Washington is now considering unprecedented measures.

In early August, a US official said in press statements that his country was preparing to place Marines and Navy personnel on board commercial tankers crossing the Gulf as part of an additional defense plan.

"We have sailors; we have Marines trained here in the region to carry out whatever mission they are tasked with," Hawkins said.

The military build-up coincides with a deal that took place a few days ago between the administration of President Joe Biden and the Iranian leadership regarding the exchange of prisoners and the liberation of Iranian funds that were frozen in South Korea under US sanctions.

Experts and diplomats said the agreement could help boost efforts to address concerns, but tensions could remain.

The Iranian news agency, IRNA, quoted the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corp (IRGC) spokesman, Ramazan Sharif, as saying last week that his country “can reciprocate any vicious act by the US, such as seizing ships.”

On August 2, the IRGC conducted maneuvers on the occupied Emirati island of Abu Musa, including training in deploying combat forces and operationalizing and equipping new IRGC boats with 600km-range missiles.

The maneuvers came amid diplomatic tension between Tehran and Moscow after Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov and his counterparts in the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) welcomed an Emirati initiative to reach a peaceful solution to the issue of the three occupied islands through bilateral negotiations or the International Court of Justice (ICJ).

The UAE and Tehran claim the islands Abu Musa and Greater and Lesser Tunb, but Iran has held them since 1971.

The spokesman for the Iranian Armed Forces, Brigadier General Abolfazl Shekarchi, told the Tasnim news that his country does not “pull any punches with anyone regarding the three islands, and these islands belong to Iran.”

He accused Western countries of seeking to raise the issue to justify their presence in the region, saying they want to prove their presence to be legitimate under certain pretexts and stay in the Gulf, the Sea of ​​Oman, and regional waters of West Asia.

“Your presence is illegal, and you must leave the region,” he asserted.

- Bolstering alliances

Dina Arakji, an associate analyst at Control Risks consultancy, called the increased US presence a "shift in posture."

"The move by the US likely aims to reassure Gulf Arab states that Washington remains committed to the region's security," Arakji said.

"Increased Iranian hostility and Chinese engagement with the region has caught Washington's attention," she added, noting the US "now aims to bolster its alliances."

Despite the prisoner deal earlier this month, separate attempts to revive a landmark 2015 nuclear pact with Tehran have effectively collapsed.

"With no sign of a diplomatic agreement between the US and Iran, the only alternative is more effective deterrence," said Torbjorn Soltvedt of the risk intelligence firm Verisk Maplecroft.

But "the perception that the US isn't doing enough to deter Iranian attacks against international shipping will persist" as long as incidents continue.



Pakistan Says It Shot Down Indian Drone along Kashmir Border

TOPSHOT - An Indian citizen returns from Pakistan through the India-Pakistan Wagah border post, about 35 km from Amritsar on April 28, 2025,  after Islamabad revoked visas of Indian nationals in response to New Delhi's withdrawal of visas for Pakistanis. (Photo by Narinder NANU / AFP)
TOPSHOT - An Indian citizen returns from Pakistan through the India-Pakistan Wagah border post, about 35 km from Amritsar on April 28, 2025, after Islamabad revoked visas of Indian nationals in response to New Delhi's withdrawal of visas for Pakistanis. (Photo by Narinder NANU / AFP)
TT
20

Pakistan Says It Shot Down Indian Drone along Kashmir Border

TOPSHOT - An Indian citizen returns from Pakistan through the India-Pakistan Wagah border post, about 35 km from Amritsar on April 28, 2025,  after Islamabad revoked visas of Indian nationals in response to New Delhi's withdrawal of visas for Pakistanis. (Photo by Narinder NANU / AFP)
TOPSHOT - An Indian citizen returns from Pakistan through the India-Pakistan Wagah border post, about 35 km from Amritsar on April 28, 2025, after Islamabad revoked visas of Indian nationals in response to New Delhi's withdrawal of visas for Pakistanis. (Photo by Narinder NANU / AFP)

Pakistan's military shot down an Indian drone along the de facto Kashmir border, state radio in Islamabad reported on Tuesday, a week after the deadliest attack on civilians in the contested region in years.

The Indian army also said that both sides exchanged fire for a fifth straight night along the Line of Control (LoC), a heavily fortified zone of high-altitude Himalayan outposts, AFP said.

There was no immediate confirmation from Pakistan on the exchange of fire but state broadcaster Radio Pakistan reported that the military had shot down an Indian "quadcopter", calling it a violation of its airspace.

Relations between the nuclear-armed neighbors have plummeted after India accused Pakistan of backing an attack in Indian-administered Kashmir on April 22 in which 26 men were killed.

Islamabad has rejected the charge and both countries have since exchanged gunfire in Kashmir, diplomatic barbs, expelled citizens and ordered the border shut.

The unmanned Indian aircraft had attempted to conduct surveillance along the LoC in the Manawar Sector of the Bhimber area, the Radio Pakistan report said.

It did not say when the incident happened. There was no comment from New Delhi.

India said the "Pakistan Army resorted to unprovoked small arms firing across the Line of Control" overnight Monday to Tuesday. The gunfire took place in areas opposite Kupwara and Baramulla districts, as well as in the Akhnoor sector, it said.

The Indian army said its troops had "responded in a measured and effective manner to the provocation". There were no reports of casualties.

India has said Tuesday is the deadline for Pakistani citizens to leave.

'Exercise restraint'

Analysts say they fear bellicose statements will escalate into possible military action.

Muslim-majority Kashmir has been divided between India and Pakistan since their independence from British rule in 1947. Both claim the territory in full.

Rebels in the Indian-run area have waged an insurgency since 1989, seeking independence or a merger with Pakistan.

Indian police have issued wanted posters for three men -- two Pakistanis and an Indian -- who they say are members of the Pakistan-based Lashkar-e-Taiba group, a UN-designated terrorist organization.

They have announced a two million rupee ($23,500) bounty for information leading to each man's arrest and carried out sweeping detentions seeking anyone suspected of links to the killers.

The United Nations has urged the arch-rivals to show "maximum restraint", while China, which shares a border with both India and Pakistan, on Tuesday repeated its call on both sides to "exercise restraint".

"Both India and Pakistan are important countries in South Asia. Their harmonious coexistence is crucial to the peace, stability and development of the region," foreign ministry spokesman Guo Jiakun said.

US President Donald Trump downplayed tensions, saying on Friday the dispute will get "figured out, one way or another".