The US will send a warship and additional F-35 and F-16 fighter jets to the Middle East, the Pentagon said on Monday, in a bid to monitor key waterways following Iran's recent seizure and harassment of commercial shipping vessels.
The Department of Defence “is increasing our presence and ability to monitor the [Strait of Hormuz] and surrounding waters”, Pentagon spokeswoman Sabrina Singh told reporters.
It was not clear where exactly the additional jets would be placed and how long they would stay in the region.
The Associated Press last week reported that the Pentagon was going to send F-16 jets to the region to protect against Iranian activities.
Earlier this month, the US Navy said it had intervened to prevent Iran from seizing two commercial tankers in the Gulf of Oman.
Since 2019, a series of attacks on shipping in Gulf waters have occurred at times of tension between the US and Iran.
About a fifth of the world's crude oil and oil products passes through the Strait of Hormuz, a choke point between Iran and Oman.
With the 2015 Iran nuclear deal effectively dead, Iran's relations with the West have deteriorated over the past year, leading Washington and its allies to look for ways to de-escalate tension and – if that happened – to revive some kind of nuclear limits.
Due to former president Donald Trump's withdrawal from the 2015 nuclear deal and Mr Biden not being able to revive it, Iran could make the fissile material for one bomb in about 12 days if it chose to do so, according to US estimates, down from a year when the accord was in force.
Iran denies seeking nuclear weapons, which the West sees as a threat to Israel and Gulf Arab oil exporters.
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Price, base: Dh914,000
Engine: 3.8-litre twin-turbo V8
Transmission: Seven-speed automatic
Power: 600hp @ 7,500rpm
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Fuel economy 12.2.L / 100km
KILLING OF QASSEM SULEIMANI
PROFILE OF CURE.FIT
Started: July 2016
Founders: Mukesh Bansal and Ankit Nagori
Based: Bangalore, India
Sector: Health & wellness
Size: 500 employees
Investment: $250 million
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The Bio
Hometown: Bogota, Colombia
Favourite place to relax in UAE: the desert around Al Mleiha in Sharjah or the eastern mangroves in Abu Dhabi
The one book everyone should read: 100 Years of Solitude by Gabriel Garcia Marquez. It will make your mind fly
Favourite documentary: Chasing Coral by Jeff Orlowski. It's a good reality check about one of the most valued ecosystems for humanity
