US increases military presence in the Middle East as Iran tensions escalate
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The US is sending a Patriot air defence missile system and a warship to the Middle East amid escalating tensions with Iran.
The USS Arlington, which transports amphibious vehicles and aircraft, will join the USS Abraham Lincoln strike group in the Gulf, officials say.
US B-52 bombers have also arrived at a base in Qatar, the Pentagon said.
It said the moves were a response to threats of possible operations against US forces in the region by Iran.
The US has given little information about the exact nature of the reported threat, which Iran has dismissed as nonsense, describing the deployments as “psychological warfare” aimed at intimidating the country.
A handout photo made available by Suez Canal Authority shows US Aircraft carrier USS Abraham Lincoln passing through the Suez Canal, Egypt, 09 May 2019. According to reports, US aircraft carrier USS Abraham Lincoln is part of a US strike group heading to the Gulf region amidst rising tension between the US and Iran. EPA-EFE/Suez Canal Authority
A senior military official was quoted as saying by the US media that the United States had not seen any increase in the threat level against U.S. forces in the region in recent days since the announcement of the initial deployment, but threat levels remained elevated.
The threat is to U.S. troops deployed in Iraq and Syria – primarily emanating from Iranian-controlled Shia militias – and on the seas in the Persian Gulf region, where U.S. officials have observed Iranian-controlled vessels transporting military hardware including missiles, according to the official.
On Sunday, US National Security Adviser John Bolton said the military deployments would “send a clear and unmistakeable message” to the Iranian regime that any attack on US interests in the region “will be met with unrelenting force”.
The USS Abraham Lincoln passed through the Suez Canal on Thursday, US Central Command said.
