U.S. Augments Forces in Persian Gulf Region

The U.S. has doubled the number of  its minesweepers in the Persian Gulf from four to eight and dispatched a special ops staging platform,the USS Ponce(LPD-15),to the region.At the same time,the U.S. Air Force has added F-15C Eagles and F-22 Raptors,which are its most advanced fighters currently in service,to air bases nearby.The U.S. Army,for its part,is keeping an extra combat brigade's worth of troops on station in Kuwait.These moves are to respond to any Iranian attempt to close the strategically vital Strait of Hormuz,which conveys oil tankers from the Gulf of Oman to the Persian Gulf,carrying much of the world's oil supply,and to increase the capablity to conduct deep strikes within Iran.
A senior Defense Department official warned Iran not to even think about it,according to The New York Times.We'll clear the mines.If you send fast boats to harass U.S. vessels or commercial shipping,we'll put them on the bottom of the Gulf,the official promised.Sanctions against Iranian oil exports have just been ratcheted up to pressure Iran to curtail its nuclear program.
The Iranian Revolutionary Guard has been testing a new ballistic missile system that can strike Israel,Turkey and vessels in the Persian Gulf.As well,legislation has been drafted for the Iranian parliament to close the Strait of Hormuz to oil tankers bound for countries participating in the sanctions against it.
The complex build-up of U.S. forces is also meant to rein in Iran's hegemonic ambitions in the Middle East generally;not just its nuclear program,the unnamed Pentagon official said.The USS Ponce,an older ship,was reconfigured for its new mission at the request of U.S. Central Command.With its room for up to six helicopters and well deck for docking small boats and landing craft,the 1970s era ship is ideally suited for special operations support.