The U.S. Air Force is now using F-16s to bolster its armed overwatch of oil tankers in the Persian Gulf region and deter Iran from trying to seize the vessels, U.S. officials say.
A-10s have already been flying patrols in the Gulf for the past couple of weeks.
The F-16 fighters, which started to fly maritime missions in the last few days, will add to the U.S. ability to respond to Iranian threats at sea and can also carry out defensive counter-air missions should Iran challenge America in the skies.
“We are working closely between the maritime and air components to ensure that there’s adequate air cover, that there’s adequate maritime surface presence in order to deter Iran from going after oil tankers,” a senior U.S. defense official said on July 14.
The official added that the F-16s would “further robust that presence.” Navy P-8 Poseidon reconnaissance planes are also supporting the effort.
The U.S. moved to beef up its air patrols after Iran sought to seize two commercial oil tankers in the Strait of Hormuz earlier this month and fired on one of them.
U.S. officials said the Iranians abandoned the attempted seizure, which occurred in international waters, after the U.S. sent a guided missile destroyer, the USS McFaul, to the area.
The U.S. has a good understanding of which oil tankers are transiting the Gulf, what cargo they are carrying, what flag they are flying under, and who owns them, officials say.
“That kind of lets us assess what vessels might be a risk and when do we want to have more presence in play,” the senior U.S. defense official said.
“We don’t just protect everyone,” the official added without providing further details. “We protect vessels that we have a national interest to protect.”
This is not the first time the U.S. envisioned using A-10s for a maritime security mission in the Gulf. In the 2012-2015 time frame, the official said, the U.S. tested how A-10s could be effective against Iranian fast attack boats and concluded they could be useful in situations in which there is not a serious surface-to-air or air-to-air threat.
U.S. officials have said Iran may receive Russian fighters in exchange for the drones Tehran has provided Moscow to use in Ukraine. Meanwhile, Iran also has surface-to-air missiles that can cover the Strait of Hormuz, a strategic choke point for shipping leaving the Gulf. An Iranian SAM shot down an American RQ-4 Global Hawk in 2019 during a period of high tension due to Iranian attacks on commercial tankers. Formerly a U.S. ally, Iran has American-made combat jets such as the aging F-4 Phantom in its inventory.
“They have a working air force,” the official said of Iran.
The A-10s are equipped with a range of weapons that are useful against moving maritime targets, including guns, rockets, and certain laser-guided bombs, and the A-10s in the region have specifically been modified to carry a more diverse range of munitions.
The aircraft deployments have gotten the attention of the Iranians, who claim their actions are aimed at discouraging smuggling and that Washington is destabilizing the region.
“I think our presence is very visible. It’s serving a deterrent effect,” the senior U.S. defense official said. “We’ll see if it’s deterrent enough over the coming days.”