A nuclear submarine has been dispatched

The commander of the US Navy in Europe and Africa, Admiral Stuart Munsch, said that the entry of the attack submarine into the Icelandic port sends a strategic signal to adversaries about the presence of the United States of America in the region, and also provides support to US allies.

Washington considers Iceland, a founding member of NATO in 1949, crucial to its Arctic strategy because of its location, where Western troops, including the US, were stationed during the Cold War.

"The US maintained a naval base here for many decades and relied on Iceland to monitor Soviet and then Russian submarine operations," Munsch said.

According to him, it is important for the United States of America to maintain a strong presence in the region that stretches from Greenland to Iceland and Great Britain. This is a key point outlined in the Pentagon's Arctic Strategy for 2024, he said.

While the strategy highlights Russia's growing military and economic interest in the Arctic, it also draws attention to China's efforts to expand its influence in the region.

The US sees Iceland as a key element of its security and deterrence efforts as the two US rivals seek to project power in the strategic area.

Erin Sawyer, chargé d'affaires at the US embassy in Iceland, said on Wednesday that Washington and Reykjavik "maintain a common goal of low tensions in the Arctic, while fully aware of Russia's efforts to build its military presence in the region."

In 2023, an American nuclear submarine had already entered Icelandic territorial waters, but this time the submarine anchored next to the jetty, and its crew disembarked ashore.

Los Angeles-class submarines, of which there are slightly more than 40 in active service today, make up a significant part of the US Navy's fleet of fast submarines.

They were equipped with cruise missiles and Tomahawk torpedoes and carried out missions around the world.