Iran announced on Monday it was deploying a naval destroyer to protect its vessels in the Gulf of Aden. Iran’s state-run Press TV said the newly deployed destroyer was equipped with long-range cruise missile systems and had been dispatched to provide security for Iranian ships traveling through the region. It said the ship, which it described as Iran’s most advanced destroyer, would be accompanied by a logistical vessel and a helicopter carrier. Tensions have been high in the region between Tehran and Washington since the Trump administration withdrew in 2018 from the 2015 nuclear deal between Iran and world powers. It has since reimposed harsh sanctions against Tehran and barred it from exporting its oil. Tensions have since escalated in the Gulf region, with explosions that damaged six tankers in May and June, Iran’s shooting-down of a US surveillance drone and its seizure of a tanker flying the flag of US ally Britain last month.