ABU DHABI (Washington Insider Magazine) – As tensions with Iran simmer, the United States Navy’s 5th Fleet in the Middle East confirmed the deployment of a newly combined fleet of aerial drones with allied nations to scan broad areas of the region’s dangerous waterways.
The 5th Fleet commander, Vice Adm. Brad Cooper, told The Associated Press that Hundred military drones, both submersible, and sailing would greatly increase the US Navy’s surveillance capabilities, allowing it to maintain a close eye on areas important to the global oil and maritime flows. Since the failure of Iran’s nuclear deal with Western powers, maritime trade has been targeted.
The 5th Fleet, which is stationed in Bahrain, is responsible for the vital Strait of Hormuz, the narrow opening of the Persian Gulf by which 20% of all oil travels. According to ABC NEWS, it also reaches as far as the Red Sea near the Suez Canal, Egypt’s waterway connecting the Middle East and the Mediterranean, and the Bab el-Mandeb Strait off Yemen.
Following former US President Trump’s move to take the US out of the nuclear agreement and reimpose crippling sanctions, the high seas have seen a succession of attacks and provocations in recent years.
As oil ships have been detained by Iranian authorities and unexplained explosions have damaged boats in the region, particularly those related to Israeli and Western companies, a maritime phantom war has erupted. Despite proof to the contrary from the West, Iran has disputed involvement in the assaults.
Iran funds proxy armed militias in Yemen, Syria, Lebanon, and Iraq, giving it military power in the area.
The Iran-backed Houthi rebels have launched bomb-laden unmanned boats toward Saudi waterways, causing damage to vessels and oil installations as Yemen’s seven-year civil conflict continues.
In the Middle East, there have also been a series of heated confrontations among American and Iranian navy ships. The clashes have highlighted the danger of an armed conflict between the two countries.
Cooper said, however, that such an incident has not occurred in the United States in recent months, while officials in Vienna tried to resurrect the shattered nuclear agreement.
The joint danger posed by Iran has driven a fast realignment of Middle Eastern affairs. A series of agreements arranged by the United States, Bahrain, and the United Arab Emirates mended relations with Israel in 2020.
These strong ties have also spilled over into military diplomacy. Earlier this month, Israel officially participated in a huge US-led naval drill in the area for the first time, among other Gulf Arab governments with which it has no ties, including Saudi Arabia.
Israel is expected to join the Navy’s unmanned naval drone joint force in the region, according to Cooper.
