US stockpiles Middle East troops as row simmers with Iran
The Pentagon is sending about 1,000 additional American troops to the Middle East as commanders try to bolster security for forces and allies in the region from what authorities say is a growing threat from Iran.
Officials said the deployment includes security forces and troops for additional surveillance and intelligence gathering in the region.
The troops are part of a broader military package of options that were initially laid out to US leaders late last month, totalling as much as 10,000 forces, Patriot missile batteries, aircraft and ships.
The latest decision comes as Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and other top officials reach out to leaders in Asia and Europe to convince them Iran was behind alleged attacks on shipping along a Middle East oil route.
In announcing the new deployment, acting defence secretary Patrick Shanahan said the forces were “for defensive purposes to address air, naval and ground-based threats in the Middle East”.
“The United States does not seek conflict with Iran,” Mr Shanahan said.
“The action today is being taken to ensure the safety and welfare of our military personnel working throughout the region and to protect our national interests.” Mr Shanahan said the US would continue to adjust troop levels as needed. Earlier, Iran announced it would exceed the uranium stockpile limit set by Tehran’s nuclear deal with world powers in the next ten days, further escalating tensions in the Middle East. The announcement by Iran’s nuclear agency marked yet another deadline set by Tehran.
President Hassan Rouhani already has warned Europe that a new deal needs to be in place by 7 July or the Islamic Republic would increase its enrichment of uranium.
Atomic energy spokesman Behrouz Kamalvandi suggested that Iran’s enrichment could reach up to 20 per cent, just a step away from weapons-grade levels.
It appears as if Iran has begun its own maximum pressure campaign on the world after facing one from US president Donald Trump’s administration that deeply cut into its sale of crude oil abroad.
Europe has so far been unable to offer Iran a way around the US sanctions.
The development follows apparent attacks last week in the Strait of Hormuz on oil tankers – assaults that Washington has blamed on Iran.
While Iran has denied being involved, it laid mines in the 1980s targeting oil tankers around the narrow mouth of the Persian Gulf through which a fifth of the world’s crude oil passes. Mr Kamalvandi accused the Europeans of “killing time” as the clock runs down.