A US Navy nuclear submarine has arrived in Gibraltar, the Pentagon said on Monday.
"The port visit demonstrates U.S. capability, flexibility, and continuing commitment to its NATO allies," the US Navy's Sixth Fleet announced. It was initially unclear whether the vessel was sent to the British Overseas Territory in connection with Iran rejecting a US proposal to end the war in the Middle East.
The Pentagon didn't disclose the name of the nuclear-powered ballistic missile submarine, an Ohio-class vessel.
"Ohio-class ballistic missile submarines are undetectable launch platforms for submarine-launched ballistic missiles, providing the U.S. with its most survivable leg of the nuclear triad," the Sixth Fleet said.
According to US media reports, these submarines are one of the US military’s most secretive weapons. The exact locations of submarines, which can also be equipped with nuclear warheads, are strictly classified, US political newspaper The Hill reported.
Ohio-class submarines are equipped with Trident II (D5) missiles, which can be fitted with multiple nuclear warheads. It was initially unclear whether the boat that surfaced in Gibraltar was nuclear-armed. The US Navy only referred to "ballistic missiles."
