US Navy denies reports of offensive military build-up in Gulf
dpa German Press Agency
Published: Monday February 19, 2007    


Manama The US Navy's top Persian Gulf commander on Monday
denied reports of a US naval offensive military build-up in the
region, affirming however that the coalition was keeping a close
watch on increasing Iranian naval exercises in Gulf waters.
Commander of the US Naval Forces Central Command and the
Bahrain-based 5th Fleet, Vice Admiral Patrick Walsh, said that this
was "an unprecedented time of instability and insecurity in the
region," with tension in Somalia, Lebanon, Eastern Mediterranean,
Iraq, Afghanistan, and Iran.

He also said that Iranian military naval exercises in the past
nine months showed the suggestion of the use of mines and the threat
of the closure of the strait of Hormuz, the only sea access into and
out of the region.

Walsh, who was speaking to the media at the US Navy 5th Fleet
Command in Manama before being replaced by Vice Admiral Kevin J
Cosgriff in the coming days, described the Iranian exercises in the
strait as provocative.

"Mines are an offensive terrorist type of weapon," he said.

"We are not giving up water to Iran. This is international waters,
it therefore should have international access and we will safeguard
that with our regional and coalition partners."

Walsh added that concerns over Iranian intentions are augmented by
the firing of ballistic missiles into the Gulf and some of the
rhetoric coming out of the Iranian leadership.

"The question is not what the Americans are planning but what the
Iranians are planning," he said.

"When they conduct their exercises and they fire their
missiles we are watching very closely and we are sharing that
information with our Gulf partners."

Walsh emphasized that the US military presence in the region was
of a defensive nature, dismissing rumours of an impending attack on
Iran.

The outgoing commander also said the US had no intentions of
abandoning its allies in the region and dismissed reports that the
US 5th Fleet command would be transferred out of Bahrain.