Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin on Aug. 11 ordered the deployment of the USS Georgia guided-missile submarine to the Middle East amid mounting tensions between Israel and Iran.
The Pentagon stated that Austin gave the instruction after speaking with Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant, during which he reaffirmed the U.S. commitment to “take every possible step” to defend Israel.
The USS Abraham Lincoln was already set to replace the USS Theodore Roosevelt, which is currently deployed in the Middle East, but Austin asked to “accelerate its transit,” according to the Pentagon.
During their talk, Austin told Gallant that Washington was strengthening its military force posture and capabilities throughout the Middle East in the wake of the “escalating regional tensions.”
The two also discussed Israel’s operations in Gaza, the importance of mitigating further civilian harm, progress toward securing a cease-fire deal with Hamas and the release of hostages, and their efforts to deter the Iranian Islamic regime’s aggression.
The United States was concerned about a possible escalation following the killing of Ismail Haniyeh, political leader of the Hamas terrorist organization, who was killed in Iran on July 31. Iran has blamed Israel for his killing although Israel has not claimed responsibility.
US Warns Iran Against Escalation
Matthew Miller, spokesman for the State Department, said on Aug. 5 that Washington has urged Tehran through diplomatic channels to not escalate tensions in the Middle East, warning that doing so would go against the interests of Iran or anyone in the region.He made the remarks following Secretary of State Antony Blinken’s discussion with Qatari Prime Minister Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani and Egyptian Foreign Minister Badr Abdelatty about tensions in the Middle East.
Miller said the United States had been communicating with all the relevant parties in the region to make clear “that escalation is in no one’s interest” and “asking that people use their diplomatic relationships to make that clear to others in the region.”
“I would expect that some of them would pass that message along and impress that point upon the government of Iran,” he said.
Miller did not say definitively whether Washington’s messages have been disseminated to Iran or through which channel. The United States and Iran have had no formal diplomatic relations since 1980, coming after the Iranian takeover of the U.S. Embassy in Tehran in 1979.
