The location of a U.S. submarine that can launch nuclear missiles has been announced by the Pentagon in a rare move as the Iran war drags on.
Usually, the Pentagon is tight-lipped about the locations of its nuclear-armed submarines. But on Monday, the Sixth Fleet announced that a Navy ballistic missile submarine arrived in Gibraltar, a British territory off the coast of Spain, on Sunday.
The Sixth Fleet is part of the U.S. Naval Forces Europe and Africa, which covers about half of the Atlantic Ocean.
In a statement announcing the submarine’s port visit, the Sixth Fleet said the vessel is part of the Ohio-class ballistic missile submarines. The Ohio-class is comprised of 14 ballistic missile submarines and four guided missile submarines.
Those 14 submarines “are undetectable launch platforms for submarine-launched ballistic missiles, providing the U.S. with its most survivable leg of the nuclear triad,” the release stated.
The surprise Pentagon announcement comes as President Donald Trump told reporters that the US-Iran ceasefire is “on life support.” The president made his assessment Monday after reviewing Iran’s latest peace proposal, which he called “garbage.”
It’s been more than two months since the U.S., alongside Israel, began launching strikes against Iran. Trump has claimed that the U.S. needed to take action because Iran posed an imminent threat to Americans with its nuclear ambitions.
The two countries entered a ceasefire early last month, but as Trump has described, it remains fragile.
Tehran’s peace proposal reportedly included recognition of sovereignty over the Strait of Hormuz, compensation for war damages and the lifting of international sanctions. Iran has effectively closed the Strait of Hormuz, a vital oil passageway in the Middle East, as retaliation for the U.S.-Israeli strikes.
The Sixth Fleet said the Ohio-class submarine’s port visit “demonstrates U.S. capability, flexibility, and continuing commitment to its NATO allies.”
It doesn’t appear that the port visit was in connection with the U.S. military efforts in the Middle East.
Trump has constantly scrutinized NATO, most recently over its member countries’ refusal to get directly involved in the Iran war.
“NATO wasn’t there when we needed them, and they won’t be there if we need them again,” Trump wrote on Truth Social early last month.