US deploys Navy destroyer, more warplanes to Middle East amid Iran tensions

The US is sending a guided missile destroyer and additional warplanes to the Middle East, the Pentagon said amid rising tensions with Iran.

Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin authorized the deployment of the USS Thomas Hudner, F-35 and F-16 fighter jets "to defend US interests and safeguard freedom of navigation," Pentagon spokesperson Sabrina Singh told reporters on Monday.

Singh cited a July 5 incident in which she said the Iranian navy attempted to seize two merchant vessels in the Strait of Hormuz as part of the motivation behind the decision.

"In light of this continued threat and in coordination with our partners and allies, the department is increasing our presence and ability to monitor the Strait and surrounding waters," she said.

Additional military assets

"We call upon Iran to immediately cease these destabilizing actions that threaten the free flow of commerce through this strategic waterway, of which the world depends on for more than one-fifth of the world's oil supply," she added.

The exact location of the deployment was not immediately available, but Singh said that some of the military equipment is already in transit.

The US Naval Forces Command said the Thomas Hudner arrived in the region July 14 after transiting through Egypt's Suez Canal.

The decision to send the additional military assets came after the Pentagon last month deployed additional F-22 jets to the region amid what it called “unprofessional" maneuvering by Russian fighter planes in the skies over Syria.

Iran orders seizure of foreign tanker

Earlier this month, Iranian judicial authorities ordered that a foreign-flagged tanker that allegedly ran into an Iranian vessel in the Sea of Oman be impounded for violation of maritime rules, state media reported.

A Bahamas-flagged oil tanker Richmond Voyager reportedly collided with an Iranian vessel in the Sea of Oman, causing injuries to the seven-member Iranian crew and flooding the vessel.

Iran's state media cited judicial authorities in the southern Hormozgan province as saying that the foreign vessel left the scene after the accident "in violation of international maritime rules and regulations."

The owner of the Iranian vessel thereafter contacted naval authorities and demanded the seizure of the Bahamas-flagged vessel through a judicial order, Iranian media reported, citing officials.