The U.S. announced Monday that they are preparing to send 1,000 troops to the Middle East as tensions with Iran continue to increase.
The announcement from acting Secretary of Defense Patrick Shanahan comes after the U.S. blamed Iran for the attack on two tankers in the Gulf of Oman last week. Iran has denied responsibility for the attacks, but video and photo evidence from the incident appears to support the United States’ version of events. (RELATED: Iran Stepping Back After Preparing To Attack US Forces)
“In response to a request from the U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) for additional forces, and with the advice of the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff and in consultation with the White House, I have authorized approximately 1,000 additional troops for defensive purposes to address air, naval, and ground-based threats in the Middle East,” Shanahan said in a statement.
Confirmed now in this statement from Acting #US Secretary of Defense Patrick Shanahan ???????? pic.twitter.com/rgslPnjgqq
— Michelle Nichols (@michellenichols) June 17, 2019
Iran has increasingly escalated tensions with the U.S. since President Donald Trump’s decision to pull out of the Obama-era Iran nuclear deal last year, threatening to destroy the U.S., and “all that you posses.” (RELATED: TEARS IN TEHRAN: Trump Pulls US Out Of Iran Nuclear Deal)
In recent months, tensions between the two adversarial nations have reached a fever pitch, with Iranian lawmakers opening a session of Parliament in April with chants of “death to America,” after the Trump administration announced increased sanctions the day before.
Earlier Monday, Iran once again threatened to increase their uranium enrichment, a clear violation of the 2015 agreement which is still in effect in much of Europe and several other nations across the globe.