US Acting Defense Secretary Patrick Shanahan authorized the deployment Friday of a Patriot missile battery and a Navy amphibious transport dock ship to the Middle East, citing intelligence concerning threats from Iran.
“IN RESPONSE IRAN’S OFFENSIVE OPERATIONS”
The Pentagon said the deployment was “in response to indications of heightened Iranian readiness to conduct offensive operations against US forces and our interests”. It follows the deployment of the USS Abraham Lincoln Carrier Strike Group and a bomber task force to the region earlier this week.
Washington’s move is the latest in a series of actions designed to exert pressure on Iran. While it previously used economic pressure, the US is now militarily threatening Tehran with new deployments to the Central Command region.
The US administration re-imposed sanctions on Iranian oil exports in November after President Donald Trump pulled out of the 2015 Iran nuclear deal between Tehran, Washington and five other countries.