Iranian missiles are capable of carrying out precision strikes on aircraft carriers in the Persian Gulf, commander of the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps Maj. Gen. Hossein Salami said Tuesday in an interview with Iranian state television.
"Ballistic missile technology has improved and changed the balance of power in the Middle East," Salami added.
Salami's remarks come on the heels of a US announcement that it would be sending another 1,000 troops to the Middle East in response to the ongoing crisis with Iran.
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On Tuesday, US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo visited US Central Command, the Tampa-based headquarters which oversees all military operations in the Middle East. Prior to his departure for Florida, the Pentagon released a series of images that showed, among other things, Iranian vessels dropping a mine under one of the oil tankers that was attacked in the Gulf of Oman on June 13.
Tehran continues to deny responsibility for the attacks.
In Tampa, Pompeo reiterated that the US was not seeking war with Iran, but said he was confident the US was taking the necessary steps to confront any challenge from Iran. He said the military is ready to respond to any attack by Iran on US interests or Iranian disruption of international shipping lanes through which much of the world's oil supplies flow.
Pompeo said US President Donald Trump only wants to reestablish a deterrent to Iranian threats.
"President Trump does not want war, and we will continue to communicate that message while doing the things that are necessary to protect American interests in the region," he told reporters.
Pompeo said he made the trip to meet with commanders who would be responsible for any operations in the Gulf to ensure that America's diplomatic and military efforts are coordinated "to make sure that we're in the position to do the right thing."
The "right thing," he said, "is to continue to work to convince the Islamic Republic of Iran that we are serious and to deter them from further aggression in the region."
