The United States has deployed 19 warships to the Middle East, providing significant firepower and a substantial military presence to enforce the naval blockade on Iran, a US official told the Washington Post on Tuesday.
اضافة اعلان
The official, speaking on the condition of anonymity, explained that most of the naval assets are stationed in the northern Arabian Sea. This fleet includes two aircraft carriers—the USS Abraham Lincoln and the USS George H.W. Bush—alongside 13 destroyers, an amphibious assault ship, a cruiser, and two dock landing ships.
He pointed out that the large number of destroyers grants US forces high capability to enforce the naval blockade on Iran and secure a robust military presence in the region.
The tally did not include any nuclear submarines, as the US Navy typically declines to disclose their deployment locations.
According to the newspaper, the US blockade is set to go back into effect on Tuesday at 4:00 PM Eastern Time, targeting any vessel heading to or departing from Iranian ports.
During the previous blockade period, the US Navy intercepted or forced back more than 140 commercial vessels, and fired at the engine rooms of nine ships to disable them after they refused to comply.
These developments follow US President Donald Trump's announcement of resuming military operations against Iran and reinstating the naval blockade, amid escalating confrontations between the two sides.
Tehran seeks to impose transit fees in the Strait of Hormuz, while Trump stated he wants to collect an amount equivalent to 20% of the value of each shipment in exchange for protecting the strait—a move that contradicts international law, which is supposed to guarantee freedom of navigation.
Before the outbreak of war in February, approximately one-fifth of the world’s oil and gas supplies passed through the Strait of Hormuz daily, transporting more than 15 million barrels of fuel to global markets with a value of at least $1.2 billion.
On Tuesday, US forces completed the latest wave of strikes on Iran, which lasted for five hours for the third consecutive night. This comes as Trump reasserted control over Iranian shipping and proposed a 20 percent fee to guard the Strait of Hormuz.
On Monday, Trump stated that the United States would reinstate a blockade on Iranian shipping in the Gulf and ensure the Strait of Hormuz remains open "for a fee."
He also warned that US forces would strike Iran again "with great force" in the coming hours, following an exchange of missile and drone attacks between the two sides.
Meanwhile, Iran’s top military leadership maintains that the United States has no role in determining the future of the Strait of Hormuz, emphasizing that it will not be allowed to interfere.
