Even though US President Donald Trump has postponed the offensive against Iran till April 6 giving primacy to diplomacy and dialogue, America has assembled a huge armada to tackle the next phase with three aircraft carriers and a huge amphibious assault ship waiting for military orders from Central Command.
As of now, aircraft carrier Gerald Ford with supporting strike group is in the Mediterranean, aircraft carrier USS George Bush is off the coast of Gibraltar, aircraft carrier Abraham Lincoln is off the Gulf of Oman in Arabian Sea, amphibious assault ship USS Tripoli and USS New Orleans with nearly 4,000 marines are in southern Indian Ocean Region (IOR). USS Alan Shepard, Ocean Titan and John L Canley, all logistics support and surveillance, are off the Malacca Straits, ready to be inducted into the battle.
While reports from Washington indicate that President Trump has the option of deploying as many as 10,000 troops on ground in the Persian Gulf to allow freedom of navigation in Straits of Hormuz, the move is also to support the Gulf Countries who have been on the receiving end of Iran’s IRGC.
The Gulf Sunni powers are in a belligerent mood against Iran for deliberately destroying their oil and military infrastructure and justifying it in the name of military support to the US. If the US does not come out openly to defend its Gulf allies and retaliate against Iran, then the Gulf powers will explore other options for their offensive security.
With the anger of Gulf countries weighing on its mind, the US has no less than 11 Arleigh Burke Class destroyers in the Middle-East along with more than 1,000 fighters, bombers and interdictors in the region on board three aircraft carriers. This apart, the US is operating its nuclear-powered conventionally armed fast attack submarines of the Los Angeles class in the entire Middle East theatre to target whatever is left of the IRGC Navy.
While there are many who believe that the US will be quagmire in Iran like earlier in Vietnam, the fact remains that anything is militarily possible with such an armada and this is after totally discounting the massive Israeli war arsenal. It is quite evident from the positioning of the armada and the fleet size that the US war arsenal may move into the Persian Gulf after securing the Iranian coast and islands within the Gulf and on the Strait of Hormuz. Clearly, the war is still not over and it is just half-time.
