A team of UK defence strategists has arrived at US Central Command located at MacDill Air Force Base in Tampa, Florida, as British military experts work with America on options to reopen the Strait of Hormuz, Times reported. The move comes as oil prices surged following Iran's warning of impending strikes on energy infrastructure throughout the Gulf, the report said, citing defence officials.
US Central Command handles American military operations in the Middle East.
The select group of specialists is tasked with crafting and formulating strategies to facilitate shipping passage through the critical chokepoint, according to the Times.
US President Donald Trump calls for help
Trump urged other nations to join the war by sending naval vessels to the strait to safeguard merchant ships and restore oil deliveries.
Heightening the stakes, President Trump stated to the Financial Times in a recent interview, “It's only appropriate that people who are the beneficiaries of the strait will help to make sure that nothing bad happens there. If there's no response or if it's a negative response, I think it will be very bad for the future of Nato.”
Operation Epic Fury
In response to the US and Israel's initiation of Operation Epic Fury on February 28, Iran has effectively shut the strait to most maritime traffic, with commercial vessels facing assaults. President Trump initially asserted that Iran was merely weeks away from achieving nuclear weapon capabilities.
Also Read: Trump Claims US Had No Role in Israel's South Pars Attack, Warns Iran Against Retaliation
South Pars gasfield attacked
On March 18, Iran's vast South Pars gas field was targeted, marking a significant escalation in the ongoing conflict between the US, Israeli and Iran, leading Tehran to declare it would retaliate with assaults on oil and gas infrastructures across the region.
Following the attack on the field, oil prices surged amidst a crisis that has already disrupted shipping from the world's foremost energy-producing area, posing the risk of enduring damage to its infrastructure.
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