USS Oregon makes stop in Scotland as US pummels Iran

The attack submarine USS Oregon surfaced in Europe this week amid continued U.S. airstrikes on Iran and renewed worries about threats in the Red Sea.

Oregon made a scheduled port call on Monday to a U.K. naval base in Faslane, Scotland, U.S. 6th Fleet said in a statement Wednesday.

The stop included routine maintenance and replenishment of supplies as well as crew rest and relaxation, the statement said.

It added that Oregon was in the fleet’s area of operations on a routine deployment supporting national security objectives, among other duties. The 6th Fleet’s area of responsibility includes the Mediterranean Sea, which links Europe to the Middle East via the Suez Canal.

“The strength, stealth and endurance of U.S. nuclear-powered submarines and their crews allow them to operate globally for extended periods, providing a persistent and flexible presence,” the statement said.

On Wednesday, Oregon remained in Scotland. It wasn’t clear when the Virginia-class submarine would depart.

The Navy doesn’t typically announce the locations of its submarines, which are considered vital to national security. Appearances by the service’s submarines are rare and often are designed to send a strategic deterrence message.

For example, 6th Fleet made a similar disclosure in May when a ballistic missile submarine made a port call in the British territory of Gibraltar. That announcement came as the U.S. and Iran were hammering out an agreement to end hostilities.

The announcement of Oregon’s port visit in Scotland follows an 11th night of U.S. strikes against Iranian targets, U.S. Central Command said Tuesday.

Military operations centers, aircraft hangars, drone storage facilities and military logistics infrastructure were targeted in an effort to further degrade Iran’s ability to threaten commercial shipping in the Strait of Hormuz, CENTCOM said.

The strikes also come as Houthi militants in Yemen have vowed to block Saudi ships in the Red Sea. If enforced, a blockade could compromise a crucial sea route for transporting Saudi Arabia’s oil. 

On Wednesday, President Donald Trump vowed that U.S. strikes would broaden if Iran did not stop its attacks on ships in the strait.

“From this point forward, any time the Islamic Republic of Iran shoots at a ship in the Strait of Hormuz, whether it be by Missile, Rocket, Drone, or any other device or weapon, the United States will bomb and destroy ONE BRIDGE OR POWER PLANT, including those located next to, or in, the Capital City of Tehran, “ Trump wrote in a post to Truth Social.

Oregon, which carries long-range, subsonic Tomahawk cruise missiles among other weapons, is homeported in Norfolk, Va.