Gen. Kenneth “Frank” McKenzie Jr., who heads US Central Command, said Iran had “de-escalated” its ballistic missile force and brought its air defense forces back to a “normal state of readiness” following its retaliatory strikes on bases housing US troops in Iraq.
“A month after the US strike that killed Iranian Maj. Gen. Qassem Soleimani, Iran's military is no longer on a heightened war footing, but the US continues to brace for further retaliation,” McKenzie said Sunday.
Speaking during a visit to the USS Harry S. Truman, an American aircraft carrier conducting operations in the northern Arabian Sea, McKenzie said Iran’s maritime forces likewise had displayed a “fairly normal” level of activity in recent weeks.
“I think Iran has seen that we do have will and that we’re willing to take action in our own interests,” McKenzie said. “We’re not going to endlessly be the recipient of their actions.”
Speaking to sailors on Saturday via the ship's wide-speaker system, McKenzie addressed ongoing tensions with Iran.
“You’re here because we don’t want a war with Iran,” he said. “I may need you to fight. I hope I don’t.”
“But one thing I know for sure just from what I’ve seen so far, this ship, this crew and this air wing will be ready if I need you,” he said.
Capt. Kavon “Hak” Hakimzadeh, who commands the USS Truman, said the ship had made preparations to conduct kinetic operations following the Soleimani strike but was not ordered to do so.
