US Navy sails nuclear submarine into Strait of Hormuz in show of strength amid rising tensions with Iran

It comes just weeks before the January anniversary of the killing of Iranian general Qassem Soleimani

A nuclear-powered, guided-missile submarine and two warships sailed between Iran and the Arabian Peninsula in what the US Navy called a "force to be reckoned with".

With tensions escalating after the killing of an Iranian nuclear scientist and Sunday's rocket attack on the American embassy in Baghdad, the US 5th Fleet announced that the USS Georgia passed through the Strait of Hormuz to demonstrate their "ability to sail and operate wherever international law allows".

The show of strength came after secretary of state Mike Pompeo blamed Iran for a barrage of rockets fired at the American embassy in Iraq's Green Zone, injuring at least one Iraqi and causing minor damage to the compound.

Along with the Ohio-class submarine, the 5th Fleet sailed with two guided-missile cruisers, the USS Port Royal and the USS Philippine Sea out of their Bahrain base and out of Bahrain into the narrow Strait of Hormuz, through which a fifth of the globe's oil supply is transported.  

The Navy said the USS Georgia is armed with 154 Tomahawk land-attack cruise missiles, while the platform holds up to 66 special operations forces.

"Georgia’s presence demonstrates the United States’ commitment to regional partners and maritime security with a full spectrum of capabilities to remain ready to defend against any threat at any time," the Navy said in a statement.

The Strait of Hormuz is one of three "chokepoints critical to the free flow of global commerce" in the 5th Fleet's area of operations, which covers 2.5 million square miles of water that includes the Arabian Gulf, Gulf of Oman, Red Sea and parts of the Indian Ocean.

The timing of the sail-by, which the US Navy hashtagged #forcetoberecokenedwith, comes as Iranian foreign ministry spokesman Saeed Khatibzadeh suggested that the "suspicious" attack on the US embassy in Iraq was an American conspiracy.

"Attacking diplomatic and residential premises is not acceptable, but the type of attack and its timing and the statement issued by the US Secretary of State show that the timing is very suspicious and they had already prepared a statement to publish," Mr Khatibzadeh told reporters at his weekly press conference, according to the Mehr News Agency.

Mr Pompeo released a statement on Sunday night blaming Iran-backed militias for "flagrantly and recklessly" attacking and wounding Iraqi civilians.

"The people of Iraq deserve to have these attackers prosecuted. These violent and corrupt criminals must cease their destabilizing actions," Mr Pompeo said.

In a follow-up tweet on Monday, Mr Khatibzadeh said Mr Pompeo's accusations "blatantly aim to create tension".

"The US military presence is the source of instability in our region. No amount of spin can divert blame for its evils," he said.

The US and Iran have been trading both rhetoric and retribution in recent weeks, with Iranian scientist Moshen Fakhrizadeh, identified as the leader of the country's nuclear programme, killed in November.  Iran has warned of revenge for that killing along with the assassination in a targeted US drone strike of Iranian general Qassem Soleimani in January.

With reporting from the Associated Press