A pair of F-16C of the 79th Fighter Squadron participate in the 53rd Weapons Evaluation Group’s Weapons System Evaluation Program East at Tyndall Air Force Base, Fla., Nov. 16, 2021. (U.S. Air Force photo by 1st Lt Lindsey Heflin)
The United States will deploy additional fighter jets around the strategic Strait of Hormuz to protect ships from Iranian seizures, a Pentagon official announced on July 14.
The unnamed official told reports that Washington is increasingly concerned about the growing ties between Iran, Russia and Syria across the Middle East.
The U.S. will send F-16 fighter jets to the Gulf this weekend to assist the A-10 attack aircraft that have been patrolling for more than a week, the official said. The announcement comes after Washington claimed on July 5 that Iran tried to seize two oil tankers near the Strait of Hormuz and fired on one of them. These claims were denied by Iran.
According to the official, F-16s will give air cover to the ships moving through the waterway and increase the military’s visibility in the area, as a deterrent to Iran.
Tensions have been mounting in the Gulf e since Iran seized two oil tankers on April 27 and May 3, reportedly in response to the capture of a China-bound Iranian oil shipment by the U.S. near southern Africa on April 22.
The U.S. announced on May 12 that it will increase the rotation of ships and aircraft patrolling in and around the Strait of Hormuz.
The decision to deploy F-16 fighter jets in the Gulf will likely lead to even more tensions with Iran. Any attempt by the U.S. to actually use force against Iranian naval forces in the waterway could quickly escalate into a dangerous military confrontation.
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