[A.A. Cunningham]

That was the only carrier available that had (Brit made) Harriers on board

Incorrect. The Iwo Jima was not the only amphibious assault ship that had embarked, on a regular basis, AV-8As. In addition VMA-231, equipped with 14 AV-8As, made a Med cruise aboard the USS FDR, CV-42, from October 1976 to April of 1977. There were plenty of boats that could have accomodated the Brits.

The U.S. Marine Corps Hawker Siddley AV-8A Harriers from Marine Attack Squadron VMA-231 Ace of Spades approach the U.S. Navy aircraft carrier USS Franklin D. Roosevelt (CV-42). VMA-231 was assigned to Carrier Air Wing 19 (CVW-19) for a deployment to the Mediterranean Sea from 4 October 1976 to 21 April 1977, FDR´s last deployment before her decommissioning on 30 September 1977. his cruise marked the first operations of the Vertical Short Take Off and Landing (VSTOL) aircraft from a carrier.

A U.S. Marine Corps Hawker Siddley AV-8A Harrier of Marine attack squadron VMA-231 Ace of Spades intercepting a Soviet Tupolev Tu-95 (Nato code "Bear") in 1976/77. VMA-231 was assigned to Carrier Air Wing 19 (CVW-19) aboard the aircraft carrier USS Franklin D. Roosevelt (CV-42) for a deployment to the Mediterranean Sea from 4 October 1976 to 21 April 1977.

[A.A. Cunningham]

A Hawker Siddley AV-8A Harrier of Marine attack squadron VMA-231 Ace of Spades landing on the aircraft carrier USS Franklin D. Roosevelt (CV-42) in 1976/77. VMA-231 was assigned to Carrier Air Wing 19 (CVW-19) aboard the FDR for a deployment to the Mediterranean Sea from 4 October 1976 to 21 April 1977.

[gandalftb]

Read my post, I said “available”.

The USS FDR, CV-42 that you mentioned was decommissioned in 1977 and was sent to the scrapyard. The Falklands War was five years later.

Of course, the Harriers could land on any aircraft carrier, but getting serviced with spare parts is another story.

The Iwo Jima was a platform for Marine Expeditionary Units, MEU’s that carried Harriers only to support Marine Corps units on board.

MEU’s are either deployed out of Norfolk or San Diego. At the time, the Iwo Jima was the only MEU platform operating in the Atlantic Ocean that could directly and fully support Brit Harriers that were almost identical to the Marine Harriers onboard.