Washington worried about Iran attack plot

Breaking with normal secrecy customs, the US has announced the presence of a nuclear-powered guided-missile submarine in the Middle East, following intelligence warnings of imminent Iranian attacks on Israeli cargo ships in the Gulf. USS Florida, an Ohio class submarine armed with 154 Tomahawk land-attack cruise missiles and equipped with special operations underwater vehicles, came through the Suez Canal on Friday and is now acting as a deterrent to Iran in the region. Intelligence reports have indicated that Iran's Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) is planning to use armed drones to attack Israeli shipping in retaliation for the recent strikes by Israel against targets in Syria in which two IRGC members were killed. The US Navy aircraft carrier, USS George H Bush, has also had its tour of operational duty in the region extended after attacks last month on American troops in northern Syria which killed a US contractor and injured a dozen troops. Iran was blamed. The Tomahawks on the submarine have a range of more than 1,000 miles. USS Florida is one of four former strategic nuclear ballistic-missile deterrent boats that were converted into Tomahawk-armed submarines. The official announcement of its presence was unusual because the location of submarines is generally classified. The Gulf is one of the world's busiest shipping lanes. "Recent events, including the strikes in Syria and public threats made by Iran against merchant vessels, prompted us to remind regional mariners to remain vigilant," Commander Timothy Hawkins, spokesman for the US 5th Fleet, said.