They feared a disengagement of the United States in the Middle East, but the rich Arab monarchies of the Gulf today see the American army strengthening its presence in the region against Iran, accused of threatening strategic maritime traffic with repeated seizures. of ships.
“There is an increased risk for sailors in the region because of seizures” by Iran in the Strait of Hormuz, Timothy Hawkins, spokesman for the US Fifth Fleet based in Bahrain, told AFP.
Located between the coasts of Iran and the United Arab Emirates, the Strait of Hormuz is strategic for world trade: it represents a fifth of the oil transported by sea in the world.
“We are focused on strengthening our presence in and around the Strait of Hormuz to ensure the security and stability of a very important waterway,” Commander Hawkins said.
According to the US military, Iran has seized or attempted to take control of nearly 20 ships flying the flags of foreign countries in the past two years.
Washington recently announced that it had blocked two Iranian attempts to seize commercial tankers off the coast of Oman in early July.
On Saturday, a US-led naval coalition advised ships to “keep as far away from Iranian territorial waters as possible”.
For Timothy Hawkins, this is a “prudent step” in light of recent incidents.
In early August, the US Navy announced the arrival in the Red Sea, on the other side of the Arabian Peninsula, of more than 3,000 US soldiers and two warships USS Bataan and USS Carter Hall.
For Timothy Hawkins, this reinforcement allows Washington to have “stronger forces if necessary”.
Washington is even preparing to embark women and men of the Navy on board commercial oil tankers transiting through the Gulf, an American official told AFP last week, on condition of anonymity.
No official announcement has yet been made, but Timothy Hawkins stresses that the United States has the personnel “trained here in the region to carry out all the missions entrusted to them”.
Gulf Arab countries, which depend heavily on the Americans for their security, have long awaited stronger commitments from the United States, especially after the upsurge in incidents since 2019.
President Joe Biden’s focus on Asia has only heightened fears of a US disengagement, prompting Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates to strengthen ties with US rivals China and even Iran.
In May, the United Arab Emirates decided to withdraw from a naval coalition led by the United States.
“One of the main advantages of the additional forces is that they make it possible to work with key maritime partners, in particular Saudi Arabia”, argues Commander Hawkins, refusing to specify whether it was a request from the Gulf States.
This reinforcement of the American presence is a “change of posture” which “probably aims to reassure the Arab countries of the Gulf on the fact that Washington remains committed to the security of the region”, estimates Dina Arakji, analyst at the consulting firm Control Risks. .
“Iran’s growing hostility and China’s engagement in the region have drawn Washington’s attention,” she told AFP, noting that the Americans “are now looking to strengthen their alliances.” .
In response, Iran has already threatened to seize American ships in “response to any vicious act of the United States”.
This rise in tension comes as various attempts to revive the 2015 Iran nuclear deal have failed, with Washington and Tehran remaining at loggerheads over the issue.
“In the absence of any sign of a diplomatic agreement between the United States and Iran, the only alternative is more effective deterrence,” said Torbjorn Soltvedt, analyst for consulting firm Verisk Maplecroft.
But this American deployment “will not be enough to dispel the growing security concerns in the region”, said this expert in the region to AFP.
According to him, as long as the incidents continue, this “impression that the United States is not doing enough to deter Iranian attacks will persist”.
08/16/2023 14:09:44 – Manage (AFP) – © 2023 AFP
