United States Fifth Fleet

As Iran batters the Gulf states, Trump’s course is beyond clear

President Donald Trump says he has “plenty of time” for talks with Iran. That works because Washington, DC, is 7,000 miles away from the Strait of Hormuz. But if you are in Dubai,...

Iran’s war against regional states: UAE bore the brunt, Iraqi Kurdistan still under fire

The ceasefire between the US and Iran has largely held since April 8, and large-scale Iranian barrages targeting Middle Eastern states have ended. However, some attacks, particularly against Iraqi Kurdistan,...

China Criticizes Iran War as Beijing Supports Tehran Under the Table

China is trying to have it both ways in the U.S.-Iran conflict. On April 14, Chinese leader Xi Jinping criticized Washington’s blockade of Iranian ports and called for a diplomatic resolution during...

Ukraine will help combat Iranian drones in Middle East, Zelenskyy says

Years of Russian bombardment with Iranian drones have provided Ukraine with unparalleled experience in finding cost-effective ways to counter these weapons. Now, that hard-won expertise may be about to...

Iran expands retaliation for US-Israel campaign across Arab states (February 28–March 2)

Iran has responded to the joint United States and Israeli military campaign against it with widespread retaliatory strikes across the Middle East. The Iranian attacks consisted of coordinated drone and...

Iran’s Desperate Gamble: Widening the War

Only hours after the U.S.-Israeli strikes on Iranian territory began, Tehran launched barrages of missiles and drones at the other Gulf states, essentially transforming its neighbors into bargaining chips...

Joint Attack on Iran Launched by U.S. and Israel

Daytime Opening Strikes: The United States and Israel launched joint strikes on Iran on February 28, after negotiations over the regime’s nuclear program failed to yield progress....

Navy should hit back harder against Houthi online disinformation

Last month, Capt. Christopher “Chowdah” Hill, commanding officer of the aircraft carrier Dwight D. Eisenhower, invited journalists to inspect the flight deck of his carrier while it...

Iran pushes threats from Yemen to Lebanon

The overall context then is that the Houthis and Hezbollah are both vowing to step up attacks, despite the fact they have faced opposition from the US and Israel respectively.

US, allies’ strikes on Houthis show West means business in Red Sea

What this means is that the strikes against Yemen, of which there have been several over the past month, have now entered a new phase.

U.S. Navy Shoots Down Missiles and Drones Launched From Yemen

The U.S. Navy shot down a salvo of cruise missiles and drones launched from Yemen in the direction of Israel on October 20, suggesting the Houthis are rallying to Hamas in the Gaza...

U.S. Boosts Middle East Combat Power to Deter Iranian Maritime Aggression 

To counter Iranian attempts “to threaten the free flow of commerce in the Strait of Hormuz and its surrounding waters,” the Department of Defense announced on July 20 the deployment of a portion...

Iran Hijacking Attempt Thwarted by U.S. and British Navies

The U.S. Navy and the UK Royal Navy aided a ship in the Strait of Hormuz on June 4 being harassed by fast-attack vessels from Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps Navy (IRGCN). The U.S. Navy’s...

U.S. Navy Increases Patrols in Strait of Hormuz

The U.S. Navy is increasing its patrols of the Strait of Hormuz in response to Iran’s growing threat to commercial shipping and its seizure of two oil tankers during the last two...

Iran Seizes Second Tanker Within Week

Iranian forces seized a Panamanian-flagged tanker in the Strait of Hormuz on May 3, just six days after taking another vessel sailing toward the United States. The empty tanker Niovi...

Iran Seizes U.S.-Bound Oil Tanker

Iranian naval forces seized a Marshall Island-flagged oil tanker traveling through international waters in the Gulf of Oman on April 27. The tanker, Advantage Sweet, was transporting...

U.S. Sends Submarine to Middle East to Counter Iranian Threats to Maritime Trade

The American nuclear-powered guided-missile submarine USS Florida arrived in the Middle East and now operates under the command of the U.S. Navy’s Fifth Fleet, signaling to the regime in Tehran that the United States will not tolerate Iranian activities targeting its troops and shipping, or those of its allies.

A win against Iranian arms smuggling to Yemen

The U.S. Navy announced on Tuesday that it has seized 70 tons of a missile fuel component and 100 tons of an explosive precursor. The items were being smuggled on a ship traveling from Iran to Yemen....

The Dangers of Iran’s Cyber Ambitions

U.S., Israeli Navies Conduct Exercise as Iran Steps up Maritime Aggression

The naval forces of the United States and Israel conducted a four-day bilateral training exercise, dubbed Digital Shield, this month in the Red Sea’s Gulf of Aqaba. The joint exercise comes in the wake of Iran’s attempts to seize American unmanned surface vessels, or USVs, in both the Red Sea and Persian Gulf over the past 30 days. The exercise focused on “enhancing maritime awareness using unmanned systems and artificial intelligence in support of vessel boarding operations,” according to U.S. Naval Forces Central Command. The USVs used in the exercise improve the ability to monitor the malign maritime activities of Tehran and its terror proxies.