U.S. to Boost Defenses In & Around Hormuz

Agence France Presse (AFP)27.02.2012 Iran
U.S. to Boost Defenses in & Around Hormuz

U.S. to Boost Defenses in & Around Hormuz

Facebook icon
Twitter icon
LinkedIn icon
Google icon
e-mail icon
The Pentagon has notified U.S. lawmakers of plans to bolster U.S. defenses in and around the Strait of Hormuz to be prepared for a military response against Iran, a report said Friday.

New mine-detection and clearing equipment as well as improved surveillance capabilities are part of the planned build-up, said the Wall Street Journal, citing defense officials briefed on the requests.

The Pentagon also wants to modify ship weapons systems to best deal with Iranian attack boats in the Strait, said the report.

The moves highlight efforts to boost U.S. military capabilities amid heightened tension with Iran and rising speculation of a strike from Israel over Iran’s nuclear program.

The United States, France, Britain and Germany accuse Iran of seeking to build a nuclear bomb, but Tehran says its nuclear drive is peaceful.

In January the U.S. aircraft carrier USS Abraham Lincoln passed through the Strait of Hormuz after Tehran threatened to close the strategic shipping route.

Iran’s military and political leaders had earlier warned they could close the strait - a key transit route for global oil supplies - if increased Western sanctions over Tehran’s suspect nuclear program halt Iranian oil exports.

Further ratcheting up pressure on the program, the U.N. atomic agency on Friday said in a new report that Tehran had substantially boosted uranium enrichment.

International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) said it “continues to have serious concerns regarding possible military dimensions” to Iran’s nuclear program.

 

Source: AFP; The Wall Street Journal

 



 
 

Latest events

Latest Issues

 

THE WORLD DEFENSE ALMANAC 2024