US Navy releases videos of military preparations for Gulf deployment

The U.S. Navy released several videos of the 26th Marine Expeditionary Unit (MEU) on board the USS Bataan (LHD 5) assault ship, preparing for their deployment to the U.S. 5th and 6th Fleet areas of operations in the Gulf sea to help ensure maritime security in the Middle East region.

The Pentagon last month sent additional F-35 and F-16 fighter jets along with a warship to the Middle East in a bid to monitor key waterways in the region following Iran's seizure and harassment of commercial shipping vessels.

After taking a commercial tanker last month, Tehran said it had an order from an Iranian court to seize a tanker in Gulf waters. The Strait of Hormuz is between Iran and Oman.

One official, speaking on the condition of anonymity, said the military had already been training some Marines in the Middle East to be on the vessels. But the official said it would ultimately be up to commercial vessels whether to request troops for parts of a journey that were particularly dangerous in the Strait of Hormuz.

In July, the U.S. Navy said it intervened to prevent Iran from seizing two commercial tankers in the Gulf of Oman.

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