All United States naval vessels stationed at the headquarters of the U.S. Fifth Fleet have reportedly been moved out of port and into open waters amid escalating tensions between Washington and Tehran.
According to reports cited by the Associated Press, satellite imagery on Wednesday, February 25, indicates that the harbour at the U.S. naval facility in Bahrain is now empty after American warships departed the base.
The U.S. Fifth Fleet operates from Naval Support Activity Bahrain and coordinates American naval operations across a vast area of strategic waterways in the Middle East.
Its area of responsibility spans approximately 2.5 million square miles of water, including the Arabian Gulf, Gulf of Oman, Gulf of Aden, Red Sea, and the Arabian Sea.
The operational zone includes several of the world’s most critical maritime choke points, notably the Strait of Hormuz, the Suez Canal, and the Bab al-Mandeb Strait.
Details of U.S. Fifth Fleet
The Fifth Fleet has a long history in the Middle East. American naval presence expanded after World War II as global interest in Middle Eastern oil grew. In 1949, the U.S. Navy established a regular presence called the Middle East Force.
By 1950, the United States began leasing office space from British authorities in Bahrain. After Bahrain gained independence in 1971, the U.S. Navy leased part of the former British naval facility and established the Administrative Support Unit, Bahrain.
The installation was renamed Naval Support Activity Bahrain in 1999 to reflect its broader operational role.
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The U.S. Fifth Fleet and U.S. Naval Forces Central Command (NAVCENT) were in 1995 recommissioned to oversee naval operations in the region. The fleet commands both permanently stationed vessels and ships rotating from the Atlantic and Pacific Fleets.
In February 2002, Combined Maritime Forces was established to coordinate multinational maritime security operations across the region, further expanding the fleet’s operational role.
The sudden movement of vessels comes as the United States prepares for potential hostilities in the region with the military increasing its footprint in the Middle East.
Earlier this week, the guided-missile destroyer USS John Finn (DDG-113) entered the U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) area of responsibility, bringing the number of American warships in nearby waters to 12.
The USS John Finn is an Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyer displacing about 9,140 tons and measuring 509 feet long, with a beam of 66 feet and a draft of 31 feet.
It is powered by four LM2500 General Electric Marine gas turbines driving two propellers, enabling speeds up to 31 knots. Arleigh Burke-class destroyers are among the most versatile surface combatants in the U.S. Navy.
They conduct anti-air warfare, anti-submarine operations, and anti-surface combat missions. The ships are also equipped for ballistic missile defense and precision strike operations, making them central to U.S. naval power projection.
Increased military activity in Middle East
The total number of U.S. warships in the region does not include destroyers currently deployed as part of carrier strike groups led by the USS Gerald R. Ford and the USS Abraham Lincoln.
Monitoring of naval movements last week identified U.S. destroyers operating in the eastern Mediterranean near the Souda Bay naval facility. At the same time, additional vessels have been tracked in the Red Sea and Persian Gulf.
The United States has also reinforced its air power alongside the naval deployments. Twelve F-22 stealth fighter jets on Tuesday departed Royal Air Force Lakenheath in the United Kingdom and are being deployed to an Israeli air force base as part of the expanding military buildup.
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The stealth fighters had arrived in the United Kingdom days earlier and remained there temporarily due to issues involving aerial refueling aircraft before continuing their deployment to the Middle East.
In addition to the F-22 deployment, dozens of other aircraft have been tracked entering the region over the past three weeks. These include F-35, F-15, and F-16 fighter jets, as well as large numbers of refueling tankers and transport aircraft.
Open-source flight analysts have tracked hundreds of military cargo flights into the Middle East since mid-February, indicating sustained logistical activity to support ongoing deployments.
Aircraft involved in the buildup include KC-135 and KC-46 aerial refueling tankers, E-3 Sentry airborne command and surveillance aircraft, C-17A and C-5M strategic transport planes, and Navy P-8A maritime patrol aircraft used for reconnaissance and anti-submarine warfare missions.
6 U.S. military cargo planes took off on Wednesday evening from the airbase in Germany towards the Middle East, bringing the number of the country’s cargo flights to the Middle East since mid-January to more than 300.
Meanwhile, Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi on Wednesday evening arrived in Geneva as the head of a political and technical delegation to participate in the third round of indirect nuclear negotiations with the United States.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Iran announced that the talks between the two sides will be held on Thursday, hosted by Oman.
According to the statement, the Iranian delegation is also scheduled to meet with Badr Al-Busaidi, Oman’s Foreign Minister, to discuss and convey Iran’s positions and views on issues including the lifting of sanctions and the nuclear issue.
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