The San Diego-based USS Mobile Bay cruised through the international powder-keg of the Strait of Hormuz last week, according to the Associated Press. The Mobile Bay is a guided missile cruiser that provides support for the John C. Stennis strike group. The Stennis also traveled through the Strait of Hormuz the final week of December.
After the Stennis and Mobile Bay left the Strait, an Iranian military leader warned the U.S. Navy not to return to the Persian Gulf, where the Strait is located. According to CBS News, Iran army chief Ataollah Salehi told IRNA, Iran's state news agency:
In response, Pentagon press secretary George Little said in a statement:
The whole brouhaha began when Iran decided to conduct a 10-day naval exercise near the Strait of Hormuz in December. According to CBS News, the point of the military exercise was to prove to the world that Iran could close off the Strait if it chose to. That's a big deal, as one-sixth of the world's oil exports must pass through the Straight each and every day.
Here's the lowdown from Euronews:
