- The US received credible intelligence that Iran was plotting an attack against US interests, including US military forces and civilians, in the Persian Gulf.
- The Pentagon then approved a US Central Command request for additional firepower, according to The New York Times.
- The White House announced on Sunday the redirection of a US Navy carrier strike group and a US Air Force bomber task force to deter Iran with the threat of “unrelenting force” in response to an attack.
The USS Abraham Lincoln carrier strike group and a bomber task force are being sent to “send a clear and unmistakable message to the Iranian regime,” White House national security adviser John Bolton said in a statement on Sunday.
This decision “represents a prudent repositioning of assets in response to indications of a credible threat by Iranian regime forces,” acting Secretary of Defence Patrick Shanahan said on Monday.
Gen. Kenneth McKenzie, the new head of US Central Command, requested the additional firepower on Sunday after reviewing intelligence hinting at a possible Iranian attack on American forces and US interests in the region, The New York Times reported, citing a Department of Defence official.
Shanahan approved the request, and the White House announced it, stressing that “any attack on United States interests or on those of our allies will be met with unrelenting force.” The White House statement emphasised that the US does not want war with Iran but is ready to respond if attacked.
Read the article by Ryan Pickrell in Business Insider Australia.