National Interest: Iran is capable of sinking US aircraft carriers
The National Interest magazine security editor, Brandon J. Weichert wrote that any conflict with Iran would significantly increase the likelihood of a US aircraft carrier being seriously damaged or sunk, noting that the abundance of US forces in the Middle East weakens it rather than strengthening it.
Weichert said in his article that the commander of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps’ Aerospace Force, Amir Ali Hajizadeh, told him during a meeting in Tehran, shortly after US President Donald Trump threatened Iran with dire consequences if it didn’t abandon its pursuit of nuclear weapons, that “the Americans have at least 10 military bases in the region surrounding Iran, housing approximately 50,000 troops”.
While this presence would certainly be disturbing to any ordinary commander, Hajizadeh sees the abundance of American forces in the region as a weakness, saying, “It means they’re sitting in a glass room… And those who sit in a glass room shouldn’t throw stones at others,” he says, and Weichert agrees.
Weichert noted that US bases in and around the Middle East are vulnerable to widespread Iranian retaliation, but if Iran decides to do so, Israel and the United States might destroy its presumed nuclear facilities, perhaps delivering a devastating blow that would bring about the collapse of the regime.
Although the Americans enjoy significant advantages over the Iranian regime, the commander of the Iranian Revolutionary Guard is correct when he warns America of Iran’s ability to respond.
The bases surrounding Iran represent clear targets, and Iran could also go further by sinking one of the two US Navy aircraft carriers currently in the region, the USS Harry S. Truman and the USS Carl Vinson.
In addition, the Iranian-backed Houthi rebels in Yemen have demonstrated a remarkable ability to threaten US aircraft carriers operating near their shores, and they are moving ever closer to the US aircraft carriers deployed to fight them, using increasingly sophisticated anti-ship ballistic missiles.
Eric Blumberg, commander of the destroyer USS. Laboon, described his time serving against the Houthis as the toughest combat the Navy had seen since World War II.
“I don’t think people really understand the gravity of what we’re doing and the threat that continues to be to US Navy warships,” he said.
Indeed, the Houthis’ anti-ballistic missiles have become so effective that one nearly hit the command deck of the US aircraft carrier Dwight D. Eisenhower last year.
A more sophisticated adversary, such as China or Iran, could undoubtedly do much worse, the author says.
Over the past week, unconfirmed reports from the region claimed that the Houthis fired drones and anti-ship ballistic missiles at the US aircraft carrier, hitting the tanker.
The Navy denies this, but the Pentagon has nevertheless ordered the aircraft carrier to reposition itself out of the Houthis’ range.
It has become well known, according to the author, that anti-ship missiles pose a significant threat to American surface vessels, to the point that the Navy maintains them at safe distances from Houthi launch sites.
Given that the Houthi missiles are Iranian-made, it stands to reason that any conflict with Iran would significantly increase the chances of a US aircraft carrier sustaining serious damage or sinking.
Weichert noted that American military dominance in the Middle East was assured 20 years ago, but the Houthis and their Iranian allies now possess sufficient capabilities to keep American aircraft carriers at bay, greatly limiting their effectiveness.
“They are also capable of sinking them, should they dare approach the combat zone,” he said.
Weichert concluded that such a loss would be a devastating blow to the American ethos, for which aircraft carriers are the most visible symbol of American power.
These platforms are highly sophisticated and expensive, meaning that destroying one of them or taking it off the battlefield due to Iranian attacks would be a devastating blow to America.
