The Assistant for Political Affairs in the Naval Force of the Iranian Revolutionary Guard issued new escalatory warnings, stressing that American ships and destroyers will not be immune from being targeted in the event of a new military confrontation, indicating that the scope of any potential conflict may extend to the Indian Ocean.
In statements reported by the Iranian Fars News Agency, the official stressed that the Iranian naval forces would target what he described as “enemy” ships and destroyers, even in the distant waters of the Indian Ocean, if a new war broke out.
In a related context, the official touched on the Strait of Hormuz crisis in response to the statements of US President Donald Trump, questioning the nature of the US military presence in the region, and considering that if Washington considers the Strait an area of influence belonging to it, it must prove this on the ground by deploying its warships in it. He called on the United States to send one of its ships to the vicinity of the Strait.
These threats come in light of the continuing simmering tension between Tehran and Washington regarding the security of navigation and control of this vital strategic waterway.
On the field level, the most recent public tracking of the US fleet, dated September 21, shows the presence of five major warships directly deployed in the Indian Ocean, namely the destroyers: “USS Mostyn,” “USS McFaul,” “USS Milius,” and “USS John Finn,” as well as the cruiser “USS Princeton.”
In addition, a much larger American force is stationed in the Arabian Sea, and includes the aircraft carriers “USS George Washington” and “USS George H.W.
