DUBAI: The top US Navy official in the Mideast said on Sunday America has reached an 鈥渦neasy deterrence鈥� with Iran after months of regional attacks and seizures at sea, even as tensions remain high between Washington and Tehran over the Islamic Republic鈥檚 nuclear program.

Vice Adm. Sam Paparo, who oversees the Navy鈥檚 5th Fleet based in Bahrain, struck an academic tone in comments to the annual Manama Dialogue hosted by the International Institute for Strategic Studies. He described having a 鈥渉ealthy respect鈥� for both Iran鈥檚 regular navy and the naval forces of its paramilitary Revolutionary Guard.
鈥淲e have achieved an uneasy deterrence. That uneasy deterrence is exacerbated by world events and by events along the way,鈥� the vice admiral said. 鈥淏ut I have found Iranian activity at sea to be cautious and circumspect and respectful, to not risk unnecessary miscalculation or escalation at sea.鈥�
Iran鈥檚 mission to the UN did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
While Iran has not directly seized or targeted a tanker in recent months, a mine recently struck an oil tanker off 萝莉视频 and a cargo ship near Yemen came under assault. Suspicion immediately fell on Yemen鈥檚 Iranian-backed Houthi rebels for being behind both attacks. The Houthis have not commented on either attack.
Paparo, a former Navy fighter pilot who most recently served as director of operations at the US military鈥檚 Central Command, offered a different stance than his immediate predecessor, Vice Adm. James Malloy. In one of his last comments to journalists in August, Malloy referred to Iran as 鈥渞eckless and provocative鈥� and always trying in dramatic naval drills to 鈥渓ower the denominator until they鈥檙e sure that they can look like they鈥檝e won something.鈥�

Malloy鈥檚 tenure saw oil tankers seized by Iran and a series of limpet mine explosions targeting tankers that the Navy blamed on Iran. Tehran denied being involved, though Revolutionary Guard members were filmed taking an unexploded mine away from one tanker.
By contrast, the several months that Paparo鈥檚 been in charge have not seen any major crises.
The US Navy routinely has tense encounters with the Revolutionary Guard, whose speed boats race alongside American warships in the Arabian Gulf and sometimes conduct live-fire drills with machine guns and missile launches in their presence.
The Guard typically patrols the shallower waters of the Arabian Gulf and its narrow mouth, the Strait of Hormuz. Iran鈥檚 regular navy largely operates in the Gulf of Oman and the Arabian Sea. While previous commanders have made a point to differentiate between the professionalism of the two, Paparo dismissed it as an 鈥渙ld idea鈥� that included a lingering belief that the service was still loyal to Iran鈥檚 former shah, who was toppled in the 1979 Islamic revolution.
鈥淔orty-one years into the revolution, I think we can dispense with that notion,鈥� the vice admiral said. 鈥淚 sincerely doubt there鈥檚 a difference among them.鈥�
Paparo also said he did not believe the 5th Fleet鈥檚 mission would be affected by the Navy potentially reconstituting a 1st Fleet responsible for the Indian Ocean.
Still, Paparo鈥檚 remarks carried a clear warning, quoting former US Defense Secretary Jim Mattis at one point.
鈥淏e polite, be professional and have a plan to kill everyone in the room,鈥� he said. 鈥淭hat鈥檚 how we conduct ourselves at sea.鈥�