Iran Backs Off As U.S. Sails Through Strait

Iran bowed out of the current round in what is quickly becoming the "War of Threats" between Iran and America, with Iran threatening to close the strategic Strait of Hormuz and American threatening to impose economic sanctions to force Iran to abandon its nuclear enrichment program.

After an American aircraft carrier left the Gulf on a scheduled rotation, Iranian army chief Abullah Salehi warned America it would take action if the carrier returned. "I recommend and emphasize to the American carrier not to return to the Persian Gulf ... We are not in the habit of warning more than once," he was quoted as saying.

Escorted by a number of warships, the USS Abraham Lincoln completed its entry into the Strait as scheduled and without  incident. The Lincoln was the first aircraft carrier to enter the Gulf since December.

Post facto, Iran managed to reframe the entry of the Lincoln, saying the aircraft carrier's entrance into the Gulf was a routine matter that didn't change the status quo. "U.S. warships and military forces have been in the Persian Gulf and the Middle East region for many years and their decision in relation to the
dispatch of a new warship is not a new issue and it should be interpreted as part of their permanent presence," Revolutionary Guards Corps Deputy Commander Hossein Salami said in a statement
to the official Iranian news agency.