US Navy sees ‘period of uncertainty’ in Gulf

Iranian behaviour in the Gulf is entering a ‘period of uncertainty,’ the head of the US Navy said on 14 May following President Donald Trump’s decision to quit the Iran nuclear deal.

US officials have in recent months credited the Iranian military for stopping years of ‘unsafe and unprofessional’ interactions that had included Iranian vessels zooming within a close distance of US warships.

But on 8 May, Trump pulled America from the Iran nuclear deal, leading to questions about how Tehran will react.

Admiral John Richardson, Chief of Naval Operations, said: ‘It’s a period of uncertainty that we are entering into. We certainly have to remain alert, even more alert than usual to just be open to any kind of response or new development or something like that.’

He noted that so far, there had been no change in Iranian behaviour.

He said: ‘The interactions there continue to be professional and safe.’

In 2017 and in 2016, the US Navy complained repeatedly about the behaviour of Iranian Revolutionary Guard vessels, which would often shadow and steer toward US ships.

In at least one incident, US sailors had to fire flares and warning shots before the Iranians turned away.

Richardson spoke to reporters during a daylong visit to the USS George H.W. Bush, which was conducting exercises with an embedded crew of more than 300 French sailors and pilots about 160km off the coast of Virginia.

The French aircraft carrier Charles de Gaulle is currently undergoing maintenance, so its Rafale pilots and crew are keeping current on their flight hours and training by working with the Bush.