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WORLD NEWS Monday 7 deceMber 2020
U.S. Navy official says 'uneasy deterrence' reached with Iran

By JON GAMBRELL the Revolutionary Guard,
Associated Press whose speed boats race
DUBAI, United Arab Emir- alongside American war-
ates (AP) — The top U.S. ships in the Persian Gulf and
Navy official in the Mideast sometimes conduct live-fire
said Sunday that America drills with machine guns
has reached an "uneasy and missile launches in their
deterrence" with Iran after presence.
months of regional attacks The Guard typically patrols
and seizures at sea, even the shallower waters of the
as tensions remain high Persian Gulf and its narrow
between Washington and mouth, the Strait of Hormuz.
Tehran over the Islamic Re- Iran's regular navy large-
public's nuclear program. ly operates in the Gulf of
Vice Adm. Sam Paparo, Oman and the Arabian Sea.
who oversees the Navy's While previous command-
5th Fleet based in Bahrain, ers have made a point to
struck an academic tone In this photo released by the U.S. Navy, Vice Adm. Sam Paparo speaks to sailors about the am- differentiate between the
in comments to the an- phibious assault ship USS Iwo Jima off Mayport, Florida, Sept. 20, 2017. professionalism of the two,
nual Manama Dialogue Associated Press Paparo dismissed it as an
hosted by the International "old idea" that included
Institute for Strategic Stud- a series of limpet mine ex- tionary Guard members months that Paparo's been a lingering belief that the
ies. He described having a plosions targeting tankers were filmed taking an un- in charge have not seen service was still loyal to
"healthy respect" for both that the Navy blamed on exploded mine away from any major crises. Iran's former shah, who was
Iran's regular navy and the Iran. Tehran denied being one tanker. The U.S. Navy routinely toppled in the 1979 Islamic
naval forces of its paramili- involved, though Revolu- By contrast, the several has tense encounters with Revolution.q
tary Revolutionary Guard.
"We have achieved an un-
easy deterrence. That un-
easy deterrence is exacer-
bated by world events and
by events along the way,"
the vice admiral said. "But I
have found Iranian activity
at sea to be cautious and
circumspect and respect-
ful, to not risk unnecessary
miscalculation or escala-
tion at sea."
While Iran has not directly
seized or targeted a tanker
in recent months as it did
last year, a mine struck an
oil tanker off Saudi Arabia
and a cargo ship near Ye-
men came under assault in
recent days. Suspicion im-
mediately fell on Yemen's
Iranian-backed Houthi reb-
els for being behind both
attacks. The Houthis have
not commented on either.
Paparo, a former Navy
fighter pilot who most re-
cently served as director of
operations at the U.S. mili-
tary's Central Command,
offered a different stance
than his immediate prede-
cessor, Vice Adm. James
Malloy. In one of his last
comments to journalists in
August, Malloy referred to
Iran as "reckless and pro-
vocative" and always try-
ing in dramatic naval drills
to "lower the denominator
until they're sure that they
can look like they've won
something."
Malloy's tenure saw oil
tankers seized by Iran and