In what would be an unheard action aimed at stopping Iran from seizing and harassing civilian vessels, the US military is considering putting armed personnel on commercial ships traveling through the Strait of Hormuz.
As experts note, this would be a step that Washington didn’t take even during the so-called “Tanker War” in 1988, the Navy’s largest since World War II, which culminated with the US Navy and Iran fighting naval battle that lasted one day.
The news comes as thousands of Marines and sailors on USS Bataan and the USS Carter Hall are on their way to the Persian Gulf, four American officials told AP on Thursday.
The deployment of the US troops that could provide the backbone for any armed guard mission in the strait didn’t go unnoticed in Iran, whose chief diplomat emphasized that the region doesn’t need “foreigners” providing security.
Per the interviewed officials, the discussions between US military officials and its Gulf Arab allies in the region continue and no final decision had been made.
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