The Department of Defense will increase its maritime presence in the Middle East due to repeated Iranian seizures of commercial vessels.
The announcement, which was first made by the National Security Council on Friday, comes a week and a half after Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps seized an oil tanker in the Strait of Hormuz, which was the 15th time over the past two years they have harassed, attacked, or interfered with a merchant vessel.
"The United States is committed to supporting regional security coalition's within the Middle East region and internationally," National Security Council coordinator John Kirby told reporters. "Today, the Department of Defense will be making a series of moves to bolster our defensive posture in the Arabian Gulf." (The Arabian Gulf refers to a body of water more frequently called the Persian Gulf.)
The Iranians have "no justification for these actions," he added, saying that "the United States will not allow foreign or regional powers to jeopardize freedom of navigation in the Middle East waterways, including the Strait of Hormuz and the Bab al-Mandab [Strait], nor tolerate by any country, efforts to dominate another, or the region, military buildups, incursions, or threats."
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He reiterated the U.S. does not "seek" conflict with Iran.
"In the coming weeks, we will seek to increase coordination and interoperability of the International Maritime Security construct and European Maritime awareness in the Strait of Hormuz under the leadership of U.S. Naval Forces Central Command Navcent and the Fifth Fleet that's based there," he said.