US/World

Iran Ups Rhetoric, Threatens U.S. Aircraft Carrier

Published Jan 03, 2012 4:52 PM EST By

The aircraft carrier USS John C. Stennis transits the Straits of Hormuz in this U.S. Navy handout photo dated November 12, 2011. — The aircraft carrier USS John C. Stennis transits the Straits of Hormuz in this U.S. Navy handout photo dated November 12, 2011. Iran threatened on Tuesday to take action if the U.S. Navy moves an aircraft carrier into the Gulf, Tehran's most aggressive statement yet after weeks of saber-rattling as new U.S. and EU financial sanctions take a toll on its economy. The aircraft carrier USS John C Stennis leads a U.S. Navy task force in the region. It is now outside the Gulf in the Arabian Sea, providing air support for the war in Afghanistan, said a spokeswoman for the 5th Fleet. U.S. Navy/Reuters

The Commander of Iran’s Army, Major General Ataollah Salehi, issued a warning to the U.S. on Tuesday, saying the USS John C. Stennis should not return to the Persian Gulf following Iranian naval drills in the region.

“The Islamic Republic of Iran will not repeat its warning,” said Salehi.

The U.S. aircraft carrier, a member of the Navy’s Fifth Fleet based in Bahrain, left the Persian Gulf and moved into the North Arabian Sea during the Iranian drills.

Pentagon spokesman George Little issued a statement response, saying "deployment of U.S. military assets in the Persian Gulf region will continue as it has for decades."

The Iranian warning came just one week after a threat to block the Strait of Hormuz, a critical shipping channel, if sanctions are imposed on its oil exports.

Published by Medicaldaily.com

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