Pentagon official says 'campaign' of Iranian threats caused US Middle East surge
A “campaign” of Iranian threats against US and allied forces pushed the Pentagon to send fresh troops and weapons to the Middle East last month, a top Defense Department international policy official said at an Al-Monitor breakfast today.
The Donald Trump administration OK’d sending a bevy of fresh troops and weapons to the Middle East after receiving intelligence that signaled Iranian plans for a “campaign” against American forces, a top international policy official said today.
Acting Assistant Secretary of Defense for International Security Affairs Kathryn Wheelbarger said at an Al-Monitor Middle East Mornings breakfast event that sophisticated attacks against tankers off the coast of the United Arab Emirates last month pushed the US administration to respond by sending a carrier strike group, a suite of bombers, engineering assets and 1,500 American troops to the region.
“What we saw was more akin to a campaign against us than typical Iranian malign behavior,” Wheelbarger said. “When we had evidence that the maritime threat had been operationalized, we became concerned that the other threats would be operationalized, specifically against our forces in the region.”
Wheelbarger did not make clear how long the stepped-up American presence would stay in the region. She said she planned to call House Armed Services Chairman Adam Smith, D-Wash., to clarify the deployment after he voiced concerns on Monday. She also clarified that only one carrier, the USS Abraham Lincoln, remained in the region.
