United States Naval Forces Central Command

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,...

Maritime Protection of Taiwan’s Energy Vulnerability

Israeli-Lebanon Ceasefire Shows Cracks as Aoun Calls on Lebanese Army To Confront IDF

Response to IDF Operation Against Hezbollah: Lebanese President Joseph Aoun instructed the Lebanese Armed Forces (LAF) to “confront” IDF troops when they cross the border into...

U.S. Navy Rescues Crew of Greek-Owned Ship Attacked by Houthi Rebels

U.S. naval forces rescued a civilian crew from a Greek-owned merchant ship struck by Iran-backed Houthi rebels in the Red Sea, U.S. Naval Forces Central Command said on June 16....

Israel’s Top General Meets With Arab Counterparts in Bahrain

The chief of the general staff of the Israel Defense Forces (IDF), Herzi Halevi, met with senior Arab generals in Bahrain this week, Axios reported on June 12. Generals from Bahrain,...

Pentagon Deploys Ohio-Class Guided Missile Submarine to the Middle East 

Latest Developments  An Ohio-class guided missile submarine (SSGN) arrived in the Middle East on November 5, according to a press release by the U.S. Naval Forces Central Command. Capable of carrying...

Strengthened U.S. Force Deters Iran’s Maritime Aggression

A senior U.S. military official said on October 5 that American military units sent to the Middle East over the summer have proven effective in deterring Iranian maritime aggression....

Iranian Air Force Conducts Training Exercise

The Iranian air force began an annual air force drill on July 23, a week after the United States announced it was deploying additional assets around the Strait of Hormuz in response to Iran’s growing...

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...

The United States and Saudi Arabia: A Possible Path Forward

Strategy for a New Comprehensive U.S. Policy on Iran

Iran Linked to Attack on Commercial Tanker

A U.S. Navy lab confirmed Iran’s connection to a November 15 drone attack on the Liberian-flagged, Israeli-linked commercial tanker M/T Pacific Zircon, according to a press release...

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.

New Mideast task force can counter Iranian arms smuggling, but more capabilities are needed

Eyeing the continued flow of Iranian weapons to the Houthis in Yemen, the Combined Maritime Forces, a naval partnership comprising 34 nations led by U.S. Central Command, established a new multinational...

From ‘Maximum Pressure’ to ‘Minimal Resistance’

The Biden administration has barely responded to Iran’s escalation of its nuclear program.

Expand Israel-Arab-US military drills to counter Iran and its proxies

Naval forces from Israel, Bahrain, the United Arab Emirates and the United States are conducting a five-day multilateral maritime security operations exercise in the Red Sea. The exercise marks the first...