Iran seizes South Korean ship after USS Nimitz maneuvers

• Iran seized a South Korean tanker and arrested its crew in the Persian Gulf on Monday, while the US military recovered and ordered the nuclear-powered aircraft carrier USS Nimitz to remain in the region.
• The reversal of Nimitz’s orders over the past five days has alarmed several NATO officials, who have repeatedly expressed concern about what they see as erratic US national security moves after the elections.
• “I suspect that they will say there was new information or a new threat and that Nimitz was needed to stay in the area, but there will be widespread suspicions that Trump overturned the redistribution for his own political or emotional concerns,” a NATO official told Insider. .
• Visit the Business Insider home page for more stories.

Iran seized a South Korean tanker and arrested its crew in the Persian Gulf on Monday, while the US military continued continued military intensification around its border. The maneuvers took place days after the first anniversary of the assassination of a major Iranian general by the United States.

The seizure – which Iran described as related to environmental pollution in a statement released by the Associated Press – came just a day after the Pentagon abruptly reversed the decision to remove the nuclear aircraft carrier USS Nimitz from the region just three days earlier.

Little more is known about the seizure of the Korean ship on Monday morning.

The US and Iran have exercised their military and rhetorical forces in recent weeks around the one-year anniversary of the assassination of Iranian general Qassem Soleimani by the US on January 3, 2020. Iran has threatened revenge for the selective assassination of the most powerful military officer from the country.

Last month, the United States Navy announced that it was moving a submarine armed with cruise missiles to the Persian Gulf for the first time in almost a decade. United States Air Force long-range bombers conducted more than 30-hour patrols over the region on several occasions from their bases in the United States. At the same time, increased rocket fire at US diplomatic and military complexes in Iraq – believed to have been conducted by Iranian proxy groups – has forced the evacuation of non-essential personnel from various facilities. This led to another round of threats and counter-threats by American and Iranian officials in the last days of the Trump administration.

National security advisers convinced Trump not to conduct a preemptive strike on Iran’s nuclear facilities last November, according to a New York Times report, despite Israel’s strong incentive. The Israeli government fears that the next Biden government will take a softer stance on the Iranian nuclear program. Iran responded with anger to the provocations, which included the killing last year of a top Iranian nuclear scientist, allegedly by Israeli agents.

The reversal of Nimitz’s movements over the past five days has alarmed several NATO officials, who have repeatedly expressed concern about what they see as erratic US national security moves after the elections.

“I feel like my instructions are 24-48 hours late,” said a NATO official in Brussels, who asked not to be named, criticizing a close ally.

“What we believe is that after weeks of pushing additional material and warships into the Gulf region to pressure Iran, it was decided to send Nimitz home after a mission off the coast of Somalia in an effort to reduce tensions,” he said. The Official. “NATO supported this reduction in the escalation because tensions were dangerously high and there is more military firepower in the region to stop Iran.”

When asked about the reason for this immediate reversal, the NATO official admitted that it was too early to say.

“I think I need a briefing,” said the official. “I suspect that they will say there was new information or a new threat and that Nimitz was needed to stay in the area, but there will be widespread suspicions that Trump has overturned the redistribution for his own political or emotional concerns.”

The New York Times reported that Trump vetoed the redistribution of Nimitz because of concerns that made him appear weak.

A former United States national security officer, who is expected to join the Biden government and therefore asked not to be identified, said that previous flights over the region by long-range bombers – which the officer described as not particularly useful for operations defensive – may have inflamed regional allies enough for the Pentagon to conclude that Nimitz had to disappear, only to be overturned by Trump three days later.

“The B-52s [sent from US bases] are useful on the first day of a major war because they can target command and control centers and anti-aircraft range defenses with cruise missiles, “said the former officer.” It is an offensive threat and, as long as they were over the Gulf, Iran would have been convinced of an imminent attack. But they go home after a few hours, Nimitz can stay and support a much wider range of operations. So it is an operational error to try to send it home, but perhaps it was forced by the outcry over the B-52s. Now there is double confusion everywhere. “

The USS Nimitz – one of the most powerful warships in the world, with dozens of attack and support aircraft – was operating off the Horn of Africa in support of American forces deployed in Somalia until December 28, according to the United States Navy . He is believed to be returning to a patrol position in the northern Gulf of Oman.

In its turn, Iran announced minutes later, he detained the South Korean tanker that considers South Korean sanctions irrational and plans to discuss the sanctions and the vessel detained with South Korea’s deputy foreign minister, who is due to be in Iran this week for negotiations.