USS Nimitz arrives in Persian Gulf

October 12, 1997
Web posted at: 1:50 p.m. EDT (1750 GMT)

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (CNN) -- The U.S. aircraft carrier Nimitz moved into the Persian Gulf on Sunday, a day after Iran launched major naval maneuvers in the strategic waterway.

The USS Nimitz and its battle group of six warships passed through the Strait of Hormuz under cover of darkness. Nimitz is in the Gulf as a part of Southern Watch, the Allied mission to enforce the southern no-fly zone established by the United States, Britain and France after the Gulf War in 1991.

The zone is intended to protect members of Iraq's Shi'ite minority from Iraqi President Saddam Hussein's air force.

The arrival of the Nimitz enables the United States to spread responsibility for daily air patrols over southern Iraq, which are usually flown from air force bases in Saudi Arabia and other Arab states in the Gulf.

The group originally was scheduled to arrive later this week. But a port call in Singapore was canceled to get the Nimitz to the region sooner after Iranian warplanes bombed two Iranian insurgents' bases in southern Iraq on September 29.

U.S. military officials originally said it was "reasonable to assume" Nimitz's schedule had been advanced because of Iran's attacks, which violated the no-fly zone.

But U.S. officials have said since that the primary intention in hurrying Nimitz along was to send a message to Iraq.

Iraqi jets rose to defend the area during the September attack, at times violating the no-fly zone. Iraqi forces have continued to flit in and out of the zone, U.S. officials said, simply to test the ability of U.S. forces to patrol the area.

Iranian naval maneuvers give show of strength

The Iranian navy launched major maneuvers Saturday, which the official Islamic Republic News Agency reported would last 10 days and involve more than 50 warships, along with scores of planes and helicopters.

State-run Tehran television said the maneuvers were meant to "display Iran's capability and increasing strength ... in the face of the onslaught of foreigners."

However, Iran has said it expects no confrontation with the United States in the waterway, which connects Gulf nations to the Indian Ocean. "We don't see any reason for friction, but we cannot speak about the belligerence of the other side," Iranian Defense Minister Ali Shamkhani said Tuesday.

Reuters contributed to this report.

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• Strike in the Gulf

Related stories:

• United States steps up enforcement of Iraqi no-fly zone - October 9, 1997
• Iraqi helicopters cross no-fly zone, land at border - April 22, 1997
• Iraqi choppers to defy no-fly zone to ferry pilgrims - April 22, 1997
• Iraq defies U.N. with pilgrim flight to Saudi Arabia - April 9, 1997

Related sites:

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• USS NIMITZ (CVN 68) - latest available information on the ship's schedule, activities of the crew, and other news
• Iraq - ArabNet
• Office of the U.S. Secretary of Defense
• U.S. Department of State

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