The US has achieved an "uneasy deterrence" with Iran after a calmer year in the Middle East's regional waters, the country's top US Navy official in the region said over the weekend.

US Navy 5th fleet commander Vice Admiral Sam Paparo said he had a "healthy respect" for the Iranian forces in the waters of the Middle East Gulf and Strait of Hormuz while speaking at the International Institute for Strategic Studies' Manama Dialogue the US Associated Press (AP) reported.