Iran Provocations of the Middle East to Continue – U.S. Navy official

acting U.S. Navy Secretary Thomas Modly
acting U.S. Navy Secretary Thomas Modly

Iran could carryout "provocative actions" in the Strait of Hormuz andelsewhere in that region in the future despite a period of relative calm,acting U.S. Navy Secretary Thomas Modly said on Friday.

Tensions in theGulf have mounted since attacks on oil tankers this summer, including off thecoast of the United Arab Emirates, and a major strike on oil facilities inSaudi Arabia. Washington has blamed Iran, which has denied being behind theattacks.

"I thinkthey're going to continue to perform provocative actions over there… and Ithink they'll look at every opportunity they can to do that," Modly toldReuters, without giving a timeline or details.

"There'snothing that suggests to me, short of a regime change there, that you have adifferent tone set from the leadership, that would suggest to me that they'regoing to stop doing what they've been doing," he added.

Since May, the Pentagonhas sent 14,000 additional troops to the region to deter Iran, including anaircraft carrier.

Modly suggestedthat U.S. reactions to Iranian actions could take away from the Pentagon'sfocus toward priorities like countering China.

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