The United States is dispatching the USS Arlington, an amphibious assault ship, and a Patriot missile interceptor battery to the Middle East, the Pentagon says, amid tensions with Iran.
The ship is being moved weeks ahead of schedule and follows a similar advanced deployment of the USS Abraham Lincoln Carrier Strike Group to the US Central Command region last weekend, in a move described as a clear message to Iran.
“The United States does not seek conflict with Iran, but we are postured and ready to defend US forces and interests in the region,” the Pentagon said in its latest statement.
US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo made an unannounced visit to Baghdad on Tuesday, where he held high level talks to press them about threats to US interests from Iran. He cancelled meetings in Berlin to make the trip.
Read the article by Shabtai Gold (Deutsche Presse Agentur) in The Advertiser.