Amidst growing concerns that an Israeli attack could kick-start a war with Iran, US Vice Admiral Mark Fox today warned reporters that Iran has considerable naval forces in the Persian Gulf area, while insisting that the US forces were able to handle them.
Handle them, but not without potential losses. Fox in particular expressed concerns about Iran’s growing number of small “fast attack craft,” basically speed boats designed for high maneuverability in close quarters, and their hypothetical use as “suicide boats.”
There is, of course, no evidence Iran is actually planning anything of the sort, but Vice Admiral Fox said that they “could be used” in such a manner, in the event that a war actually did break out.
Between that and “a large mine inventory” Iran could make naval control over the gulf in general and the Strait of Hormuz in particular difficult. Fox cited the “overheated rhetoric from Iran” as a cause of concern, though if a war did break out there is little doubt Iran would not be the aggressor.
