Bloomberg reported that the American Ohio-class submarine USS "Florida" has entered the Gulf waters, with Washington hoping to show strength and deter Tehran to avoid escalating the conflict in the Middle East. The agency noted that although the "Florida" operates on nuclear power, it does not carry nuclear weapons. However, the submarine can be armed with up to 154 Tomahawk cruise missiles and can accommodate up to 66 U.S. Navy special operations personnel on board. John Kirby, the Strategic Communications Coordinator at the National Security Council, stated, "The United States has sent an Ohio-class submarine to the Middle East, and no information has been provided about the specific location of the American submarine sent to the region."