Iran warns US warships are in range of its missiles as 2 destroyers sail into the Persian Gulf

Petty Officer 3rd Class Darion Chanelle Triplett/U.S. Navy via AP

With Abraham Lincoln as the flagship, deployed strike group assets include staffs, ships, and aircraft of Carrier Strike Group 12, Destroyer Squadron 2, USS Leyte Gulf and Carrier Air Wing 7.

• Two US guided-missile destroyers sailed through the Strait of Hormuz and into the Persian Gulf on Thursday, according to USNI News.
• The US warships entered the waterway without harassment, but on Friday, the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps' deputy for parliamentary affairs warned that Iran's missiles could hit US ships in the Gulf.
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Iran's elite Revolutionary Guards warned that Iranian missiles could hit US ships in the Gulf after two US Navy destroyers entered the waterway to send a message to Tehran.

The Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyers USS McFaul and USS Gonzalez sailed through the Strait of Hormuz and entered the Gulf Thursday. One of the ships was recently deployed to the region with the USS Abraham Lincoln carrier strike group in response to signs of possible Iranian aggression.

Read more: Iranian commander warns US aircraft carrier is a 'target' not a threat, as US firepower pours onto its doorstep

Senior leadership in the Iran Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) issued a warning after the ships entered the Persian Gulf. Mohammad Saleh Jokar, the IRGC's deputy head of parliamentary affairs, told Iran's semi-official Fars News Agency that "even our short-range missiles can easily reach [US] warships in the Persian Gulf," Reuters reported.

While Iran has repeatedly issued threats and warnings over the past week, it does not appear to have taken any discernible steps to act on its rhetoric. The two US Navy destroyers sailed into the Gulf without harassment, which is a bit unusual.

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"It was the quietest transit we have seen in a long time," a US defense official told The Wall Street Journal. "The deterrence part of this is going pretty well."

One interpretation of US intelligence, however, is that actions by Iran and its allies were taken in the belief that the US was preparing to strike them, though there are differing views within the Trump administration on the meaning of Tehran's moves, according to The Journal.

Read more: The US is sending a ton of firepower to take on Iran - here's everything headed its way

Last week, the US decided to deploy a carrier strike group, a bomber task force, an amphibious landing ship, and a missile defense battery to the US Central Command area of responsibility in response to what the command said were "clear indications that Iranian and Iranian proxy forces were making preparations to possibly attack US forces in the region."

The decision to boost CENTCOM's firepower was reportedly triggered by satellite images showing Iranian paramilitary forces loading missiles onto small boats for an unknown purpose, although there may have been other considerations.

Suez Canal Authority via AP

The USS Abraham Lincoln in the Suez canal, May 9, 2019.

These movements have led some observers to conclude that the Trump administration desires war with Iran, but the White House and the Pentagon have publicly stated that the US does not seek conflict.

Read more: Pictures showing Iranian paramilitaries loading attack boats with missiles are reportedly behind the US's sharp escalation of tensions with Tehran

This is a deterrence mission - a reminder, according to the White House, that the US is prepared to respond with "unrelenting force" should Iran move to attack US interests in the region.

When asked Thursday if the US is going to war with Iran, Trump responded, "I hope not."