The United States has moved aircraft carriers to the Middle East in response to a "credible threat from Iran"

Washington's recent decision to deploy the USS Abraham Lincoln Aircraft Carrier Battle Group and an operational task force of bombers in the region overseen by Central Command (including the Middle East) was pbaded in light of related information. to an Iranian threat. US Defense Secretary Patrick Shanahan said Monday.

"The deployment announced last night […], represents a cautious repositioning of badets in response to indications of a credible threat emanating from Iranian regime forces, "Shanahan wrote on his Twitter account.

In a subsequent publication, the senior military official called on the Islamic Republic to "put an end to any provocation". "We will hold the Iranian regime accountable for any attack on US forces or our interests," he said.

For his part, US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said Monday that Washington had recorded activities of Iran indicating an "escalation" of the situation.

"We continue to witness activities that lead us to believe that an escalation is underway, so we take all appropriate measures, both from a security point of view and our ability to ensure that the president [de EE.UU., Donald Trump] have a wide range of options in case something happens, "Pompeo told reporters.

The deployment

On May 5, US National Security Advisor John Bolton announced that the country was deploying the USS Abraham Lincoln Aircraft Carrier Group and a group of bomber operations in the area overseen by Central Command (CENTCOM , by its acronym in English) "to send a clear and unequivocal message" to Iran that "any attack on the interests of the United States or their allies will face a relentless force".

As noted by The Hill, the Middle East is one of the areas of responsibility of the US Central Command. Bolton's message indicated that his country was taking this step in response to "a number of worrying and growing indicators and warnings".

At the same time, the statement stressed that "the United States is not seeking a war with the Iranian regime," adding that Washington "is quite ready to respond to any attack, whether by mediators or by the body of the guard.Revolutionary Islamic or regular Iranian forces.

RT.