Iran's defense minister downplayed fresh US military deployments to the Persian Gulf, admiring the Islamic Republic's military "power" in facing its enemies in the Persian Gulf.
"America is pursuing its own plans, but the Islamic Republic has reached such a level of power and authority, where no one is capable of threatening it," declared Brig. Gen. Mohammad-Reza Ashtiani when asked on Wednesday by state media reporters about the significance of the US reinforcements.
Earlier on Monday, the Pentagon said it was sending F-35 warplanes as well as the USS Thomas Hudner destroyer vessel in what it said was a plan that included fighting off ship seizures by Iranian forces and bolstering security across the strategic Strait of Hormuz, the narrow waterway responsible for one-fifth of global oil traffic.
The Pentagon's decision followed a tense episode earlier this month, in which the US Navy revealed that it had blocked an attempt by Iranian forces to capture two oil tankers near the Gulf of Oman. According to US officials, the Iranians had opened fire in one of the encounters.
