DUBAI, United Arab Emirates – The United States and more than two dozen allies are gearing up for the largest naval exercise ever in the Middle East focused on countering the threat of anti-ship mines. A wary Iran says it will be watching closely.
The maneuvers starting next week are the latest flexing of American military muscle in and around the Persian Gulf, even as Washington tries to convince ally Israel that diplomacy and sanctions aimed at pressuring Iran to scale back its nuclear program need more time to work.
U.S. Navy officials insist that the anti-mine exercise is not about any specific country or a response to Iranian threats to shut the narrow Strait of Hormuz at the mouth of the Gulf, the route for one-fifth of the world’s oil.
But the drills will likely be perceived around the world as a challenge to Tehran, which has thousands of anti-ship mines it could deploy to disrupt shipping and drive up oil prices in response to any airstrike on its uranium enrichment facilities. The U.S. and several of its allies accuse Iran of seeking to develop nuclear weapons, but Iran says its atomic program is solely for peaceful purposes.
“This is one of many engagements conducted alongside regional defense forces,” said Lt. Greg Raelson, a spokesman for the Navy’s 5th Fleet. “Freedom of navigation through international waterways is critical to the international community and to nations in the region, including Iran.”
The exercises, which will focus on a hypothetical extremist organization, are a way to boost cooperation with foreign navies and prepare to deal with threats that could block vital trade routes at sea, American officials say.
“Who is the 800 pound gorilla in the room? It’s Iran,” said Scott Truver, a Washington-based naval analyst who has written about mine warfare. “I’m sure we’re sending them a message of: Here’s what we can do. So don’t try it.”
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