(NewsNation) — A U.S. nuclear submarine arrived in the Middle East, a message of deterrence in the face of nearly 30 attacks on U.S. and coalition bases.
U.S. Central Command said the Ohio-class submarine was entering its area of responsibility on social media Sunday,
The arrival of the sub and the recent deployment of the carrier groups Eisenhower and Ford are visual signals to Iran-backed groups in the region who are retaliating against the U.S. for its support of Israel.
Secretary of State Anthony Blinken echoed that message on his surprise visit to Baghdad, Iraq, this weekend.
“As you know, there have been a series of attacks conducted by militia directed at our personnel, both in Iraq as well as in Syria. Job number one for me is to ensure the security of our people. And so, I got an update on everything we’re doing to make sure that our personnel are safe and secure,” Blinken said.
Sending the submarine was the most visible move in the past 24 hours in the Biden administration’s attempt to stop the war from spreading.
“To anyone who might seek to take advantage of the conflict in Gaza to threaten our personnel here or anywhere else in the region: Don’t do it,” Blinken said in Baghdad.
Officials haven’t revealed much about the details of its deployment, but it is known the U.S. fleet has 14 Ohio-class submarines that can launch ballistic missiles and four additional ones that can carry Tomahawk cruise missiles.