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Warship raises U.S.-Iran tensions

Atul Aneja

DUBAI: Tensions between Iran and the Untied States have escalated following the arrival of another American aircraft carrier in the Gulf on Tuesday.

The carrier, John C. Stennis, is leading a "strike group" that consists of several warships, many of which specialise in launching missiles. A top U.S. navy commander, Patrick Walsh, has attributed the deployment of the carrier to Iranian military exercises in the Strait of Hormuz.

Shahab-3 missiles

Speaking in Bahrain on Monday, he said that in November last, the Iranians had fired the Shahab - 3 missile "which went very close to traffic separation scheme in the straits themselves."

Nearly 40 per cent of the global oil supplies pass through the Strait of Hormuz.

The U.S. battle group has 6,500 sailors and Marines on-board. It joins another aircraft carrier, Dwight D. Eisenhower, which has already been positioned in the Gulf. The arrival of the carrier has been accompanied by media reports, attributed to "diplomatic sources", that a major strike against Americans in Iraq, which, if traced to the Iran, can trigger a strike against Tehran.

In tandem with the U.S "gunboat diplomacy", the Iranians have been conducting military manoeuvres of their own. Nearly 60,000 Iranian troops are involved in exercises in 13 out of Iran's 30 provinces. Iranian officials have said many missiles are being tested during these manoeuvres.

The military buildup in the Gulf, is taking place at a time when the deadline for Iran to halt enrichment of uranium has expired. The United Nations Security Council along with Germany has been insisting that Iran must freeze enrichment before talks can begin.

Iranians have said that they would not abide by any preconditions for talks.

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