US aircraft carrier strike group sails through Strait of Hormuz
The US aircraft carrier strike group Abraham Lincoln
sailed through the vital Strait of Hormuz on Tuesday, US officials told
Reuters, amid simmering tensions between Iran and the United States.
Tensions in the Gulf have risen since attacks on oil
tankers this summer, including off the UAE coast, and a major assault on energy
facilities in Saudi Arabia.
Washington has blamed Iran, which has denied being
behind the attacks on global energy infrastructure.
The commander overseeing US naval forces in the
Middle East told Reuters in May that he would send an aircraft carrier through
the Strait of Hormuz if needed.
In a statement on Tuesday, the Navy said the Lincoln
transited through the Strait into the Arabian Gulf.
About a fifth of the world’s oil passes through the
Strait of Hormuz.
The United States has deployed thousands of
additional military forces in the Middle East, including bombers and air
defense personnel, to act as a deterrent against what Washington says is
provocative Iranian behavior.