ABOARD THE USS JOHN C. STENNIS – American warplanes screamed off two aircraft carriers Tuesday as the U.S. Navy staged its largest show of force in the Persian Gulf since the 2003 invasion of Iraq, launching a mammoth exercise meant as a message to the Iranians.
The Bremerton-based USS John C. Stennis and the USS Dwight D. Eisenhower were joined by 13 of their attached warships; more than 100 aircraft were involved in the maneuvers.
Also taking part were six guided-missile destroyers, the Anzio, Ramage, O’Kane, Mason, Preble and Nitze; the frigate Hawes; amphibious assault ships Boxer and Bataan; and the minesweepers Scout, Gladiator and Ardent.
While they would not say when the war games were planned, U.S. commanders said the exercises were not a direct response to Iran’s seizure of 15 British sailors and marines Friday. U.S. and British officials insist the team was properly searching Indian cargo vessels inside Iraqi waters near the northern end of the Gulf, not in Iranian waters as that country has said.
‘A clear message’
But commanders made clear that the flexing of the Navy’s military might was intended as a warning.
“If there is strong presence, then it sends a clear message that you better be careful about trying to intimidate others,” said Capt. Bradley Johanson, commander of the Stennis.
“Iran has adopted a very escalatory posture with the things that they have done,” he added.
F/A-18 fighter jets roared off the Stennis’ flight deck all day, mounting a dozen rapid-fire training sorties against imaginary enemy ships and aircraft.
“These maneuvers demonstrate our flexibility and capability to respond to threats to maritime security,” said Navy Lt. John Perkins, 32, of Louisville, Ky., as the Stennis cruised about 80 miles off the United Arab Emirates after entering the Persian Gulf overnight.
The war games involve more than 10,000 U.S. personnel mounting simulated attacks on enemy aircraft and ships, while hunting submarines and looking for mines.
Meanwhile, the U.S. military denied reports Tuesday that Iran had fired a missile at a U.S. ship in the Persian Gulf. The rumors of an attack had sent oil prices soaring more than 8 percent in after-hours trading. Lt. Cmdr. Charlie Brown of the U.S. Navy 5th Fleet said all ships in the Gulf had been checked and the rumors were untrue.
At the headquarters of the Navy’s 5th Fleet in Bahrain, Cmdr. Kevin Aandahl said the maneuvers would last several days. He said U.S. warships would stay out of Iran’s territorial waters, which extend 12 miles off the Iranian coast.
Britain issues warning
In the rising tensions over the capture of the British service members, British Prime Minister Tony Blair warned that his government is prepared to move to “a different phase” if Iran does not quickly release the 14 men and one woman held since Friday.
Blair did not define what he meant by a “different phase,” but a government spokesman who requested anonymity said the British leader was referring not to military action but to a move to a more public confrontation, such as releasing evidence they believe proves that the two small British patrol boats captured in the Gulf were operating in Iraqi waters, not Iranian.
As early as today, Blair is expected to release Global Positioning System coordinates of the seizure and other intelligence information on the encounter, British officials said.
Iran’s Foreign Ministry spokesman, Mohammed Ali Hosseini, said British consular officials in Tehran would gain access to the detainees only after a preliminary investigation determined whether troops had entered Iranian territory on purpose or by mistake.
One ministry official, speaking on condition of anonymity, said the Britons were being held by conservative members of the Revolutionary Guards, a parallel military organization born of Iran’s 1979 Islamic revolution, and were outside the normal channels of government.
“The Ministry of Foreign Affairs is put aside and the case is only in the hands of the Revolutionary Guards,” he said. One Western diplomat said ministry officials did not know the exact whereabouts of the detainees.
However, Hosseini said that the detainees were in good condition.
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