Special to WorldTribune.com

WASHINGTON — The U.S. Navy has made the growing Iranian
military presence in the Gulf a top priority.

Officials said the U.S. Navy has been devising strategies to maintain
operations in the Gulf, including the Strait of Hormuz, amid Iranian
threats. They acknowledged that Iran was capable of blocking the strait for
a short period.

“If you ask me what keeps me awake at night, it’s the Strait of Hormuz and the business going on in the Arabian Gulf,” U.S. Navy operations chief Adm. Jonathan Greenert said.

In a Jan. 10 address to the Center for New American Security, Greenert said the Navy was focused on requirements in the Middle East. The operations chief said Hormuz, which contains 40 percent of global oil shipments, marked the top of his concerns.

“There won’t be a taking of my eye off the ball,” Greenert said.

The U.S. Navy has deployed at least two carrier groups to protect shipping lanes in the Gulf. The Navy’s Fifth Fleet, responsible for the Gulf, maintains its headquarters in Bahrain.

Iran ended a 10-day exercise earlier this month that practiced the closure
of the strait. During the exercise, Velayet-90, Iran, reporting the presence
of an American aircraft carrier, warned the U.S. Navy against deployment in
Hormuz.

In his address, Greenert said the Navy was supplying such equipment as
self-protection and anti-submarine systems to American warships in the Gulf.
The officer said U.S. Navy ships were also provided with systems to stop any
swarm attack by scores of Iranian speedboats against aircraft carriers,
frigates and destroyers.

“It’s something I mull over again and again,” Greenert said. “Our folks
that transit in and around that area, I want to make sure that they’re able
to deal with the things that they need to deal with.”

  Adm. Jonathan Greenert, Arabian Gulf, Center for New American Security, Fifth Fleet, Tension: U.S. Navy focusing on Iran maneuvers and the Strait of Hormuz, Velayet-90