CENTCOM just released the shot: an F-35B Lightning II armed and ready for nighttime launch off the USS Tripoli in the Arabian Sea. This is no photo op. It backs America’s ironclad naval blockade of Iranian ports, launched April 13 after peace talks collapsed.
USS Tripoli packs 3,500 sailors and Marines into a total force of over 10,000 troops and multiple warships. They are locking down every vessel trying to enter or leave Iranian waters and coastlines.
The message is simple: Iranian maritime traffic is shut down tight. Freedom of navigation stays open through the Strait of Hormuz for everyone else.
No games. No weakness. US forces are on station and enforcing the line.
