ANALYSIS – Not afraid of Joe Biden. In another example of gray zone warfare, the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) aggressively harassed the USS Bataan (LHD-5) helicopter assault ship and the USS Carter Hall (LSD-50) landing ship in the Strait of Hormuz.
Both vessels, which between them carry four thousand Marines and sailors, have been sent to the region to counter Iranian aggression against civilian shipping. The Bataan, a Wasp-class amphibious assault ship, hosts elements of the 26th Expeditionary Unit – Special Operations Capable (MEU-SOC). (RELATED: Marines Urged By Woke Study To Use Gender-Neutral Terms In Boot Camp)
The impressive ship also carries assault hovercraft and amphibious assault fighting vehicles.
A mix of helicopters, such as the CH-53E Super Stallion, the V-22 Osprey tilt-rotor aircraft, and Ah-1Z Cobra Viper attack birds, and F-35B vertical/short takeoff stealth fighters, provides a significant aerial capability.
Iran claimed that the confrontation forced American helicopters to land back on the U.S. ships, and their video showed helicopters landing, but this can't be confirmed, and so far, the exact date of the incident is unconfirmed as well.
But the information warfare message was clear – Iran can bully larger American forces without response. Without leadership and will, these forces are virtually useless.
I doubt the Iranians would have taken this type of aggressive action if Donald Trump was president. Trump's decapitation drone strike against Iranian terrorist Quds commander Qasem Soleimani in 2020 put the Iranian regime on defense for quite a while. (RELATED: No Labels Likely To Launch Third-Party ‘Alternative' If Trump, Biden Win Nominations)
In the highly edited video released by Iran, speedboats, which came within inches of the two U.S. warships, are seen manned by armed troops, while drone footage is shown to have been taken from above.
As the Daily Mail explains:
The Strait of Hormuz is hugely important to the world economy, as one-fifth of the world's oil passes through its waters, but Washington has still not commented on the tense situation.
The strait lies in the territorial waters of both Iran and Oman. At its narrowest point, it is just 21 miles wide, and the width of the shipping lane in either direction is only two miles.
The stand-off comes just weeks after the US warned vessels to avoid the Persian Gulf following a threat that Iran made that it would seize oil tankers in the region.
The threat followed a spate of attempted and successful seizures in the region, with the US claiming that Iran has gone after nearly 20 internationally flagged ships in the region over the past two years.
According to USNI News, retired Maj. Gen. David Coffman, a pilot and former 13th MEU commander, said that a larger military presence, combined with intentional ambiguity, “gives you contingency, capability and ambiguity.”
Coffman added that by putting the bulk of the ARG/MEU team in the Persian Gulf, “they have a range of influence, particularly with the MV-22 and JSF that is thousands of miles. “Now you have a capability in theater, from soup to nuts, that can do a whole range of missions.”
“There's a strength in a strategic and tactical level ambiguity if it's backed up by contingency and presence.”
All this is great if we have the leadership at the very top to use the force when necessary. (RELATED: Blue State Citizens Threaten To Secede Over Liberal Leadership)
USNI News reported that Pentagon Press Secretary Brig. Gen. Pat Ryder said last week: “We believe that we are having a deterrent effect by working closely with our allies and our partners in the region. But it's something that of course we have to stay after, which is why we located some additional assets in the region.”
“Our hope would be that the trend will go downward,” Ryder said. “But ultimately that's up to Iran. In the meantime, we're going to do everything we can to ensure the safety and security in the region and the continued ability of commerce to transit the Strait of Hormuz unimpeded.”
Unfortunately, based on the recent Iranian actions, things aren't getting any better.
The opinions expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the positions of American Liberty News.
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The inlet ones that should be afraid of Joe Biden are children. Keep your kids away from that predator.
SO MUCH FOR aMERICAN CLAIMS OF ELECTRONIC COUNTERMEASURES THAT WILL SHUT DOWN DRONES.
This would not happen if Trump were President!
Our military has turned into a paper tiger under braindead, they are too consumed with social experiments.
We can thank the Donks and the Wokies for the pussification of the US military.
And bidim is giving Iran $6+ billion!!! Just shows how much they fear him or think he might do anything in response to their shenanigans. What are we going to do wait for more American Service personnel to be killed?!?!? Even that would probably not motivate a response from bidim.
Thanks Liberals…..you put a WIMP in charge and this is what we get….harassment by 3rd world countries!!
I can’t make a comment because I would break the rules of common courtesy and that’s VERY HARD TO DO!
C’mon man, what the hell is the US doing there letting the Iranians, or anybody for that matter, get away with threatening our forces that have a legitimate right to be in that area. Bumbling Biden has no respect from anyone anymore, are you happy Joe?
He used to work for Obama. He’s happy he’s humiliating the USA.
That’s right. He’s continuing the Obama legacy of following orders of their Iranian puppet masters.