The United States announced last week that it would increase the use of military fighter jets around the Strait of Hormuz to protect ships from being attacked by the Islamic Republic of Iran.
Defense officials say the move comes as the U.S. is concerned about growing ties between Tehran, Moscow, and Damascus across the Middle East region.
Speaking to reporters, a Pentagon official said the U.S. is sending F-16 fighter jets to the Persian Gulf region to augment the A-10 attack aircraft patrolling the area in the past several days. This latest action comes as the Islamic Republic has captured several oil tankers near the strait in the past few days.
The F-16s will provide air cover to the vessels moving through the waterway and help the military's visibility in the area to deter attacks from the Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC).
The Pentagon official also said that the U.S. is considering several military options to address increasing Russian aggression in Syrian airspace, which prevented efforts to strike an ISIS group leader last weekend.
The defense official declared the U.S. will not cede any territory and will continue to fly in the western part of the country on anti-ISIS missions.
The official noted that Russian military activity has increased in the Middle East since March, stemming from growing cooperation and coordination between Moscow, Tehran, and Damascus to push the U.S. out of Syria.
With the invasion of Ukraine ongoing and Russia's lack of military resources, Moscow has been beholden to Tehran for its support in the war.
As a result, cooperation between the two anti-American regimes has occurred via intelligence sharing and military planning.
Pentagon officials do not believe Russian aircraft plans to attack U.S. troops or shoot down manned aircraft. However, there are concerns that Russian pilots will knock a Reaper drone out of the sky and that Russia believes the type of action would not receive military pushback from the U.S..
With Iran and Syria continuing to prop up Islamic terrorist groups in Gaza, Lebanon, Yemen, Iraq, and other parts of the region, officials say this latest measure will assist allies, including Saudi Arabia, Israel, and other Persian Gulf Arab states who have seen their vessels attacked by Iran.
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