US Navy sails nuclear submarine through Strait of Hormuz | CNN Politics

An oil tanker is on fire in the sea of Oman, Thursday, June 13, 2019. Two oil tankers near the strategic Strait of Hormuz were reportedly attacked on Thursday, an assault that left one ablaze and adrift as sailors were evacuated from both vessels and the U.S. Navy rushed to assist amid heightened tensions between Washington and Tehran. (AP Photo/ISNA)

Why the Strait of Hormuz is so important for oil

01:45 - Source: CNN Business

World News 16 videos

Why the Strait of Hormuz is so important for oil

01:45

Now playing

- Source: CNN Business

Video shows woman being attacked in Mexico before being killed

02:38

Now playing

- Source: CNN

Video shows crowd chanting for end to Covid lockdowns in China

02:23

Now playing

- Source: CNN

They lost 5 immediate family members in a fire. Hear why they can't attend the funeral

03:09

Now playing

- Source: CNN

HONG KONG, CHINA - NOVEMBER 28: People hold sheets of blank paper in protest of COVID restriction in mainland as police setup cordon during a vigil in the central district on November 28, 2022 in Hong Kong, China. Protesters took to the streets in multiple Chinese cities after a deadly apartment fire in Xinjiang province sparked a national outcry as many blamed COVID restrictions for the deaths. (Photo by Anthony Kwan/Getty Images)

Protesters take to Hong Kong's streets in solidarity with mainland

02:11

Now playing

- Source: CNN

screengrab Farideh Moradkhani khamenei niece

Niece of Iranian Supreme Leader calls out government

02:47

Now playing

- Source: CNN

Kim Jong Un watched Hwasong-17 ICBM launch with his daughter

Expert explains what new photos of Kim Jong Un's daughter may show

02:31

Now playing

- Source: CNN

CNN reporter at site of protest against China's zero-Covid policy

01:16

Now playing

- Source: CNN

Video thumbnial china covid bbc journalist

Video shows British journalist 'beaten' and detained in China

01:17

Now playing

- Source: CNN

Now-censored videos appear to show China's zero-Covid measures delaying response to deadly fire

02:02

Now playing

- Source: CNN

Landslide flips cars on Italian tourist island

01:36

Now playing

- Source: CNN

See police try to wrangle runaway ostriches in Alberta

00:48

Now playing

- Source: CNN

NASA discovery reveals there may have been life on Mars

01:27

Now playing

- Source: CNN

US President Joe Biden (R) and China's President Xi Jinping (L) meet on the sidelines of the G20 Summit in Nusa Dua on the Indonesian resort island of Bali on November 14, 2022. (Photo by SAUL LOEB / AFP) (Photo by SAUL LOEB/AFP via Getty Images)

How Biden administration's export ban is choking off China's tech ambitions

02:55

Now playing

- Source: CNN

Iranian doctor asks if the West will stand on the 'right side of history'

03:10

Now playing

- Source: CNN

He fully supported China's zero-Covid policy. Hear why he changed his mind

03:30

Now playing

- Source: CNN

CNN —

The US Navy nuclear-powered guided-missile submarine USS Georgia transited the Strait of Hormuz Monday accompanied by two additional American warships, the Navy said Monday in a rare public announcement of a nuclear submarine’s movements.

“The nuclear-power Ohio-class guided-missile submarine USS Georgia (SSGN 729), along with the guided-missile cruisers USS Port Royal (CG 73) and USS Philippine Sea (CG 58), transited the Strait of Hormuz entering the Arabian Gulf, Dec. 21,” the Navy said in a statement using an alternative name for the Persian Gulf.

The vessels’ entrance into the area comes amid heightened tensions with Iran, with Secretary of State Mike Pompeo blaming Iranian backed militias for a rocket attack on the US Embassy compound in Baghdad, on Sunday.

Some US officials have expressed concern that Iran may use the anniversary of the killing of General Qasem Solemani to carry out a strike on the US.

The US Navy rarely discusses the movement of its submarines, but Monday’s announcement also included details on the vessel’s capabilities, including its “ability to carry up to 154 Tomahawk land-attack cruise missiles.”

Eight rockets were fired into Baghdad’s International Zone on Sunday, causing damage to buildings and cars in a residential area near the US Embassy. The US Embassy compound suffered slight damage, but no embassy personnel were injured. The Iraqi military said one Iraqi soldier was injured when a rocket landed near a security checkpoint.

“The United States strongly condemns the latest attack by Iran-backed militias on the International Zone in Baghdad,” Pompeo said in a Sunday statement. “We wish those hurt a speedy recovery.”

Iranian Foreign Minister spokesman, Saeed Khatibzadeh, strongly condemned Pompeo’s statement, saying Iran’s embassy is also located in the International Zone.

“Iranian embassy is in the same area, attacking any diplomatic missions and residential areas is wrong and banned by international law,” Khatibzadeh said during a virtual press conference held in the Iranian capital Tehran on Monday and attended by local and international media representatives.

“The statement issued by American Secretary of State is suspicious. We strongly condemn the statement issued by the American Secretary of State,” Khatibzadeh added when answering a question by local Iranian media reporter.