US sends submarine equipped with Tomahawk missiles to the Middle East

The US has sent a guided missile submarine to the Middle East after Iran warned the US would be “hit hard” if Washington did not push for a ceasefire in Gaza.

In a November 6 announcement, the Pentagon posted an image of an Ohio-class submarine capable of launching Tomahawk cruise missiles in the Suez Canal, just northeast of the Egyptian capital Cairo.

The submarine, which can carry 154 Tomahawk missiles, each with a warhead containing nearly half a ton of explosives, is currently maneuvering in the area amid rising tensions.

The submarine images were posted by the US Central Command (CENTCOM) as Iranian Defense Minister Mohammad-Reza Ashtiani called on the Biden administration to push for a ceasefire and accused the US of being "militarily involved" in the Israel-Hamas war.

Meanwhile, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken has stepped up his diplomatic activities with a trip to the Middle East. Mr. Blinken arrived in Ankara on the evening of November 5 and held talks with his Turkish counterpart Hakan Fidan on the morning of November 6.

Following Hamas' surprise attack on Israel on October 7, the US increased its military presence in the region by sending two aircraft carriers, including the world's largest aircraft carrier, the USS Gerald R. Ford, to the Eastern Mediterranean, along with many aircraft capable of conducting airstrikes.