Pentagon claims a 'steady decline' of Iran's tanker-tracking capabilities
The Pentagon (illustrative photo: wikimedia)
The United States claims to have destroyed an Iranian radar base and observation posts used to track tankers in the Strait of Hormuz, making shipping in the region safer, according to CNN.
US Central Command head Adm. Brad Cooper claimed a "steady decline" of Iran's and the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps' ability to target ships in the Strait of Hormuz.
"As we work shoulder to shoulder, we also remain zeroed in on dismantling Iran's decades-old threat to the free flow of commerce throughout the Strait of Hormuz," he said.
According to Cooper, US forces struck an underground Iranian military facility housing radar systems that monitored shipping.
"(The strike – ed.) destroyed intelligent support sites and missile radar relays that were used to monitor ship movements... Iran's ability to threaten freedom of navigation in and around the Strait of Hormuz is degraded as a result," he added.
Earlier, after US and Israeli strikes on Iran in late February, Iran began attacking commercial ships and threatening to block the Strait of Hormuz. In just a few weeks, more than 20 merchant vessels were attacked or damaged, with some crews killed or missing.
This resulted in most shipping companies suspending voyages through the strait, and tanker traffic nearly halted. Iran has also demanded fees from tankers passing through the Strait of Hormuz.
In effect, the US-Iran war in its third week is spiraling out of control for President Donald Trump due to rising oil prices and NATO allies refusing to intervene. Yet this did not stop Trump from once again declaring victory and claiming that the United States is not using the Strait of Hormuz.
