WASHINGTON - The Pentagon said Tuesday that the United States will continue to send aircraft carrier strike groups into the Gulf region, despite Iran's warning against such a move.

"The deployment of US military assets in the Persian Gulf region will continue as it has for decades," Pentagon spokesman George Little said in a statement. "These carrier strike group deployments are necessary to maintain the continuity and operational support to ongoing missions."

Iran's Army Commander Major General Ataollah Salehi warned on Tuesday against the return of the USS John C. Stennis, one of the US Navy's biggest aircraft carriers, to the Persian Gulf.

The aircraft carrier had left the Persian Gulf to the Sea of Oman during Iran's recent navy drill in the Strait of Hormuz.

"Our transits of the Strait of Hormuz continue to be in compliance with international law, which guarantees our vessels the right of transit passage," Little said. "We are committed to protecting maritime freedoms that are the basis for global prosperity; this is one of the main reasons our military forces operate in the region."

Tensions in the Gulf region intensified after Iran threatened last week to close the Strait of Hormuz, one of the world's most critical oil route, if its oil exports are sanctioned by the West.

In response, the Pentagon said in a statement last week that "interference with the transit or passage of vessels through the Strait of Hormuz will not be tolerated."