Pentagon: US carrier sent on 'credible threat' by Iranian regime

Pentagon: US carrier sent on 'credible threat' by Iranian regime
US acting Defense Secretary Patrick Shanahan said on Monday (May 6) he had approved sending a carrier strike group and bombers to the Middle East because of indications of a credible threat by Iranian regime militias, but did not provide any details on the underlying intelligence.

US national security adviser John Bolton said on Sunday the United States was deploying the Abraham Lincoln carrier strike group and a bomber task force to the Middle East to send a message to Iran.

While neither Shanahan nor Bolton provided details on US intelligence, other US officials told Reuters there were “multiple, credible threats” against US forces on land, including in Iraq, by Iran and proxy forces and at sea.

“(It) represents a prudent repositioning of assets in response to indications of a credible threat by Iranian regime forces,” Shanahan said on Twitter.

Still, questions remain on what specific intelligence- gathering method was used, how relevant the intelligence was, and how those threats differ from the usual concern about Iranian military activity in the region.

“We call on the Iranian regime to cease all provocation. We will hold the Iranian regime accountable for any attack on US forces or our interests,” Shanahan added.

In a statement later on Monday, the Pentagon said the step was taken in response to “indications of heightened Iranian readiness to conduct offensive operations against US forces and our interests.”

The Trump administration’s efforts to impose political and economic isolation on Tehran began last year when it unilaterally withdrew from the nuclear deal it and other world powers negotiated with Iran in 2015.

Based on Reuters

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