US Sends Guided-Missile Submarine to Middle East Amid Iran Tensions

The US Navy has sent a nuclear-powered guided-missile submarine to the Middle East to "help ensure regional maritime security and stability" amid increasing tensions with Iran. The move comes as Iran continues to harass shipping and attack oil tankers in the area, and has stepped up attacks by its proxies on US forces in the region. The USS Florida, an Ohio-class submarine, is capable of carrying up to 154 Tomahawk land-attack cruise missiles and is deployed to US 5th Fleet. The fleet patrols the crucial Strait of Hormuz, the narrow mouth of the Persian Gulf through which 20% of all oil transits.