Adam Schreck Associated Press
MANAMA Bahrain (AP) The top U.S. Navy official in the Gulf said Sunday he takes Irans military capabilities seriously but insists his forces are prepared to confront any Iranian aggression in the region.
Vice Adm. Mark Fox commander of the 5th Fleet told reporters at the naval forces Bahrain headquarters that the Navy has built a wide range of potential options to give the president and is ready today to confront any hostile action by Tehran.
He did not outline specifically how the Navy might answer an Iranian strike or an effort to shut the entrance to the Persian Gulf though any response would likely involve the two U.S. aircraft carriers and other warships cruising the waters off Iran.
Weve developed very precise and lethal weapons that are very effective and were prepared Fox said. Were just ready for any contingency.
Faced with tightening Western sanctions Iranian officials have stepped up threats to close the Strait of Hormuz if the countrys oil exports are blocked. A fifth of the worlds oil supply passes through the narrow waterway which is only about 30 miles (50 kilometers) across at its narrowest point.
Iran and Oman share control of the waterway but it is considered an international strait meaning free transit passage is guaranteed under international law.
Irans army chief Gen. Ataollah Salehi early last month warned an American warship not to return to the Gulf shortly after the aircraft carrier USS John C. Stennis and another vessel left. Another carrier the USS
Abraham Lincoln entered the Gulf without incident on Jan. 22.
Fox acknowledged that Irans military is capable of striking a blow against American forces in the Gulf particularly using unconventional means such as small attack boats or mines laid along shipping lanes.
Were not bulletproof. There are people that can take a swipe at us Fox said.
But he added that he has reminded officers under his command that they have a right and an obligation of self defense if attacked.
The admirals comments echo those of other Western officials who say they will respond swiftly to any Iranian attempt to shut the Strait of Hormuz.
Gen. Martin Dempsey chairman of the U.S.
Joint Chiefs of Staff told CBS Face the Nation last month that Iranian forces could block shipping through the strait for a period of time but added We can defeat that.
In his briefing in the Bahraini capital Manama Fox voiced support for the tiny island nation that has hosted U.S. Navy vessels for decades.
They are a long-term partner and a very important piece of our ability to do our mission he said of the country.
Bahrain has been rocked by protests led by the countrys majority Shiites against the countrys Sunni monarchy that erupted in force a year ago. Street battles between security forces and protesters still flare up almost daily in the predominantly Shiite villages around the capital.
Foxs command encompasses the bulk of the Middle East including the Red Sea the Persian Gulf and a large swath of the Indian Ocean along the east African coast. There are about 25000 sailors under his command.
