F-16s being sent to Gulf this weekend in response to Iran ship seizures: Pentagon

Washington has been flying A-10 fighter jets over the Strait of Hormuz for the last week and it will be sending a new fleet of F-16s to the Gulf this weekend in response to the recent uptick in Iranian efforts to seize oil tankers, a senior US military official said Friday.

Meanwhile, the official voiced US concern over the increasingly close ties between Russia, Iran and Syria, saying that the three countries were looking to push the United States out of Syria.

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The latest announcement by the US military comes just weeks after they dispatched a fleet of F-22 Raptors to the Middle East due to Russia’s unsafe and unprofessional behavior in the skies over Syria.

“A-10s have been flying over the Strait of Hormuz and over the broader [Gulf] areas for about a week and a half now. And we are starting to fly f-16s this weekend, as well, to further robust that presence,” the official, speaking on condition of anonymity, told reporters.

The new air presence will allow the US to have “really good visibility” on what ships are in the region, what they carry, and who owns them. “And that kind of lets us assess what vessels might be at risk,” the official said.

Just last week, Iran tried to seize two oil tankers near the Strait of Hormuz, firing shots at one of them, the US Navy said.

With the A-10s, the senior US military official said they would complement the naval component. The official added that the jets were outfitted with munitions, including laser-guided bombs, that would be useful to go against fast boats.

The A-10 has proven capable with that in a permissive environment, according to the official, who said this particular aircraft was effective where there is no concern over air threats or a surface-to-air missile threat.

“There are limitations; we don’t just protect everyone. We protect vessels that we have a national interest to protect,” the official said.

Russian threats

Last week alone, Russian fighter jets harassed US drones three separate times while on anti-ISIS missions over Syria and dropped flares in front of them in some instances.

The top US military general in the Middle East warned that Russia’s repeated violations were becoming a significant safety concern in the region.

The senior US military official told reporters on Friday that another similar incident took place early Friday.

F-16 fighter jets accompany the F-22 Raptors heading to the Middle East. (US Central Command)

According to the agreed-upon protocols between the US and Russians in Syria, both sides are supposed to stay about three nautical miles away from each other’s aircraft all the time.

Russia has violated that dozens of times over the last several months.

Asked about potential Russian motives behind their provocative behavior, the official said that as Russian and Iran were pulling themselves closer together, “there is interest on both sides to push us out of Syria, to put a pressure campaign on us to have us leave.”

The official also said the Assad regime “certainly wants us gone” as they seek to reassert sovereignty over the war-torn country.

“The Russians are somewhat beholden to Iran,” the official said. “Iran wants us gone so they can complete the Shia crescent to continue to move lethal aid that might threaten Israel and push that over to Lebanese Hezbollah.”

The official added: “And my assessment is that there’s a degree of cooperation, collaboration, planning, where they potentially are looking at how would they pressure us over time to push the US out.”

But the US will not cede territory to the Russians, Iranians or anyone else as it continues to push ahead with its mission to defeat ISIS. The official said Washington was not looking for any escalation but warned that the US would respond if a real threat were sensed.

The other motive for the Russian activity is their effort to fly surveillance reconnaissance missions over the Al-Tanf garrison in Syria, which houses US troops.

For now, the military official played down the Russian threat and compared them to a “gnat that we have to swat away every once in a while.”

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