US joint naval drills spark speculation of Persian Gulf preparations
Washington, 23 July (IranVNC)—Joint naval exercises that began yesterday off the eastern coast of the U.S. have sparked speculation in Israeli and Iranian media that Washington may be preparing for combat in the Persian Gulf.
By: IranVNC
Published: Wednesday, July 23, 2008
19:00GMT—3:00PM/EST
US – NAVY – EXERCISES – SPECULATION
Washington, 23 July (IranVNC)—Joint naval exercises that began yesterday off the eastern coast of the U.S. have sparked speculation in Israeli and Iranian media that Washington may be preparing for combat in the Persian Gulf.
According to the US Navy, more than 15,000 troops from the U.S., France, Brazil and Britain are taking part in Joint Task Force Exercise [JTFEX] 08-4, named “Operation Brimstone,” in the southeastern state of North Carolina and in the Atlantic Ocean along the coast between Virginia and Florida.
Iran’s state-sponsored English-language Press TV has interpreted the drills as “training for operation in shallow coastal waters such as the Persian Gulf and the Strait of Hormoz.”
And the Israeli investigative news website Debka File yesterday described the exercises as a “sea exercise for naval blockade on Iran”, reporting that two of the US carriers – the USS Theodore Roosevelt and USS Iwo Jima – are set to be deployed in the Middle East in the coming months.
US Navy Commander Marty Chanic said the exercises would “flex our war-fighting capabilities”, and explained that for the first time, forces who operate in the “littorals and riverine environment”, will take part in the drills.
The U.S. has made no mention of Iran in its descriptions of the training exercises.
Sources: US Navy website, Press TV, Debka File
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