The Middle East-based naval commanders from the US, British, and French navies transited the Strait of Hormuz on a US warship on Friday in an unusual show of force aimed at Iran.
The US Navy’s Fifth Fleet said its commander, Vice Adm. Brad Cooper, made the transit with his British and French counterparts aboard the guided-missile destroyer USS Paul Hamilton.
The show of unity near Iran’s coast came after the White House announced that the US was increasing its military presence in the Persian Gulf following Iran’s seizure of two oil tankers.
Before Iran seized the two tankers, the US seized a ship in the region that was carrying Iranian oil and stole its cargo. The US has a history of taking Iranian oil and gas shipments using sanctions enforcement as a pretext.
Tensions between the US and Iran have been soaring since indirect negotiations between the two countries to revive the nuclear deal, known as the JCPOA, failed in the fall of 2022. Axios reported last week that the US had proposed to Israel to conduct joint military planning on potential attacks on Iran
