The U.S. Navy's Ohio-class nuclear-powered cruise missile submarine USS Florida (SSGN-728) has entered the Persian Gulf through the Strait of Holmes to threaten Iran at close range. The US Navy's dispatch of the USS Florida nuclear submarine into the Persian Gulf at this time is to put on a posture of not hesitating to engage in war with Iran and to create a so-called secure external environment for Israel.
The nuclear-powered cruise missile submarine USS Florida, guided by a tugboat, entered the Persian Gulf
The "Florida" is the No. 3 boat of the Ohio-class strategic missile nuclear submarine, which was launched in 1981 and commissioned in 1983. In the 90s of the last century, the United States and Russia signed the second phase of the strategic arms reduction agreement, according to which both sides need to reduce strategic offensive weapons, and the Ohio-class strategic missile nuclear submarines bear the brunt.
According to the agreement, the US Navy needs to retire four Ohio-class strategic missile nuclear submarines, but these nuclear submarines will only be in service for 10 years, and they can be in service for at least 20 years.
The launch tube of the modified USS Florida
The USS Florida nuclear submarine began to be refitted in 2003 and returned to service in 2006. The original 24 ballistic missile launch tubes were all removed, the front 2 tubes were equipped with special warfare submarine interfaces, and the rear 22 tubes were replaced with Tomahawk cruise missile launch modules, each module can be equipped with 7 Tomahawk cruise missile launch tubes, so that the whole boat can be equipped with up to 154 Tomahawk cruise missiles, carry two special operations submarines, and accommodate 66 Navy SEAL special forces soldiers.
Data from the USS Florida submarine
After the USS Florida returned to service as a nuclear-powered cruise missile submarine, the US Navy sent it to the Mediterranean Sea to take charge of combat missions in the Middle East and Eastern Europe. In 2010, in response to our missile tests in the East China Sea, the United States allowed the USS Florida and two other nuclear-powered cruise missile submarines to surface at the same time in Diego Garcia, the Philippines, and South Korea to show off their force.
Scene of the Florida underwater launch of a Tomahawk
In 2011, the "Florida" participated in the NATO military operation against Libya, and during the entire operation, the "Florida" launched 93 Tomahawk cruise missiles, 90 of which hit the target, destroyed a large number of stationary targets in Libya and played an important role in the dismantling of the command structure of the Gaddafi government. In the current Palestinian-Israeli conflict, the US Navy has insufficient aircraft carriers, and it is difficult to send an aircraft carrier strike group to the Persian Gulf for a while; under such circumstances, the "Florida" has once again been entrusted with the important task of arriving in the Persian Gulf ahead of schedule and threatening Iran with force, so as to achieve the so-called goal of deterring Iran's involvement in the Palestinian-Israeli conflict.
USS Florida's special warfare submarine
The Americans are actually quite sad about this approach, because they blindly favor Israel in the Middle East, and although this hegemonic practice has maintained Israel as a state, it has kept Israel's external environment bad.
The USS Florida nuclear submarine entered the Middle East in April this year, when Israeli military and police clashed with the Palestinian population, Palestinian armed groups launched rockets from Gaza to attack Israel, and the Israeli air force immediately attacked targets in Lebanon and Gaza. At the same time, Israel claimed that Iran was behind the scenes, and carried out air strikes on Iranian targets in Syria. The conflict between the two sides heated up sharply, and in this case, the nuclear-powered cruise missile submarine "Florida" entered the Persian Gulf and threatened Iran with force.
The U.S. military force could only temporarily calm down the Palestinian-Israeli conflict, and a few months later, the "Al-Aqsa flood" operation kicked off a new round of large-scale Palestinian-Israeli conflict. The "Florida" can only return to the Persian Gulf again and continue to threaten Iran with force. As the vanguard of the US Navy's large-scale air strikes, the deployment of the "Florida" means that the possibility of an air attack on Iran has been put on the table, and it is a naked threat of force against Iran.
The USS Florida launches Tomahawk cruise missiles at periscope depth
With a range of 1,500 kilometers from a submarine-launched Tomahawk cruise missile, the "Florida" can hit Tehran, the capital of Iran, in the Gulf of Oman and cover the entire territory of Iran in the Persian Gulf. However, 154 Tomahawk cruise missiles are too many, but they are unlikely to defeat Iran, let alone stop Iran's support for armed groups in the Middle East. Shiite militant groups in Iraq, such as the Iraqi Islamic Resistance Movement, have launched attacks on U.S. military bases in Iraq, more than 30 times since early October.
Fundamentally speaking, Israel, under the protection of the United States, is unwilling to abide by the relevant UN agreements, respect the legitimate and legitimate rights and interests of the Palestinian people, reject the establishment of Palestinian statehood, and are unwilling to divide Jerusalem. The Palestinian moderate forces are difficult to convince the people, so naturally the radicals have the upper hand, and then today you beat me, tomorrow I will beat you, and they will fall into a vicious circle from which they cannot extricate themselves.
In the 90s of the last century, the Soviet Union collapsed, the Cold War ended, Palestine lost its main support force, on the other hand, Israel almost had an absolute advantage, but Rabin, who was the Israeli prime minister at the time, still tried his best to reach a peace agreement with the PLO, showing the foresight of a politician. Unfortunately, Rabin was then assassinated by right-wing extremists in the country, making it all fleeting. As for the Middle East issue, we should persist in reconciliation between all parties and find a way to balance the interests of all parties on the basis of relevant UN agreements, instead of taking sides and blindly using force to suppress others, so as to usher in long-term peace and stability in the Middle East.