After ‘Pivot to Asia,’ America Beefs Up Military Presence at Middle East Flash Point

The Pentagon reportedly is ‘considering’ putting armed personnel on commercial ships that travel through the Straits of Hormuz, ‘in what would be an unheard of action aimed at stopping Iran from seizing and harassing civilian vessels.’

AP/Jon Gambrell, file
A U.S. MH-60 Seahawk helicopter flies over Iranian Revolutionary Guard patrol boats in the Strait of Hormuz, Decembre 21, 2018. AP/Jon Gambrell, file

“Just when I thought I was out, they pull me back in.” That Michael Corleone lament from the much-maligned “Godfather III” comes to mind as the American and Iranian militaries flex muscles in the Straits of Hormuz, as it wasn’t long ago that Washington vowed to leave the Mideast behind and tend to other, bigger challenges, such as Communist China and Russia.

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