The submarine is nuclear-powered and capable of carrying up to 154 Tomahawk cruise missiles.
The announcement was made on April 8 and is believed to be a show of force against Iran following recent tensions.
The submarine is capable of carrying 154 US Tomahawk cruise missiles - Photo: US Navy/AP
Tomahawk cruise missiles, launched from warships or submarines, can hit targets up to 2,500 km away. They are famous for being used to launch the US-led war in Iraq in 2003. Tomahawks were also used by the US in airstrikes on Syria in 2018 after the country was accused of using chemical weapons in its civil war.
The submarine, which is based in Kings Bay, Georgia, passed through the Suez Canal on April 7. It was deployed to the US 5th Fleet to "help ensure maritime security and stability in the region," Lieutenant Colonel Timothy Hawkins, a spokesman for the 5th Fleet, said, without specifying the mission or the reason for deploying the submarine.
The US Navy's 5th Fleet, based in Bahrain, patrols the vital Strait of Hormuz, through which 20% of the world's oil passes. It also operates in the Bab-e-Mandeb Strait off Yemen and the Red Sea, stretching to the Suez Canal, Egypt's waterway that connects the Middle East to the Mediterranean.
For years, the US, UK and Israel have accused Iran of targeting oil tankers and commercial ships, a claim Tehran denies. The US Navy has also reported a series of tense encounters with Iranian forces at sea.
Last month, the US launched airstrikes against Iran-backed forces in Syria after a missile attack killed one American and wounded seven others in northeastern Syria.
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