Pentagon chief aims to ensure safe passage in Persian Gulf
Posted July 24, 2019 7:00 am
WASHINGTON (AP) - The Trump administration's new Pentagon chief says he aims to ensure a U.S. naval presence in the Persian Gulf that would deter Iran from threatening to stop or seize any American commercial ship.
Mark Esper, who was sworn in as defense secretary on Tuesday, tells reporters that this arrangement wouldn't mean having an American warship escorting every U.S. commercial ship.
As Esper puts it, "to the degree that the risk demands it," the U.S. military will do what it can - by air and by sea - to ensure secure navigation in the Gulf and through the Strait of Hormuz.
Esper says he'll receive briefings on the Gulf situation, and Iran's recent actions there, during a visit next week to Central Command headquarters in Florida.
President Donald Trump looks to Secretary of Defense Mark Esper during a ceremony in the Oval Office at the White House in Washington, Tuesday, July 23, 2019. (AP Photo/Carolyn Kaster)
The Associated Press
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