By : Marwa Mahmoud
The commander of the US Fifth Fleet, Vice Admiral James Malloy, confirmed that the coalition forces are closely monitoring Iranian movements in the Gulf of Oman and the Persian Gulf.
In an interview with Asharq Al-Awsat, he added that this includes the waterways and all commercial ships, especially after Iranian gunmen attacked an oil tanker.
Malloy stressed that his country reserves the right to use the option of force at any time due to what he described as “Iranian recklessness.”
He also indicated that these steps are necessary to ensure that the forces are in a state of advanced readiness at all times.
The United States adheres to the plan to re-impose sanctions on Iran, especially after the Security Council refused a few days ago to extend the imposition of the arms embargo on Tehran.
Statements of officials in the US administration on the subject continue, recalling the right granted by the nuclear agreement signed in 2015, to the parties to this agreement to re-impose sanctions when Tehran breaches its terms.
In this context, US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo posted, on Monday, a tweet on his Twitter account, based on a statement by former US President Barack Obama, “godfather of the nuclear deal.”
Pompeo said in his tweet: “Once the United States believes that Iran has not fulfilled its obligations, no other country can block our ability to re-impose multiple sanctions.”
