U.S. continues to patrol Arabian Sea amid tensions with Iran

ARABIAN SEA (NBC) – U.S. warships are patrolling the Arabian Sea as tensions simmer with Iran.

The amphibious assault ship U.S.S. Boxer has been sent to the Arabian Sea as part of what the U.S. military calls a “standard” deployment.

But the situation—growing tensions between the United States and Iran—is anything but ordinary.

Iranian state TV reported Thursday that Iran had seized a foreign tanker smuggling fuel in the gulf. That follows attacks on tankers near the Strait of Hormuz, which the United States blames on Iran.

Part of the U.S. mission in the region is to protect crucial shipping lanes for Middle East oil.

Col. Fridrik Fridrikson, the commander of the U.S.S. Boxer, said the ship left San Diego in May on a Middle east mission that was planned a year ago. “Our mission is the same,” Col. Fridrikson said. “It does not change, which is to promote security in the region, assure allies and certainly ensure the free flow of commerce throughout the straits and anywhere else.”

Capt. Jason Burns, Commander of the U.S.S. Boxer’s Amphibious Ready Group explained, “We’re at a regular schedule of deployment, we left in May to deploy on schedule. So we weren’t deployed in reaction to anything else, just a regular schedule, one that we would have done regardless of what’s going on in the world.

The United States has increased its military presence and is asking allies to help protect the strategic waters off Iran and Yemen.