The US acting defence secretary says the potential for Iranian attacks on Americans in the Middle East have been put on hold but threats remain high.
Acting US Defence Secretary Patrick Shanahan says while threats from Iran in the Middle East remain high, deterrence measures taken by the Pentagon had “put on hold” the potential for attacks on Americans.
It was unclear exactly what Mr Shanahan meant and Pentagon officials could not immediately clarify whether the threat from Iran had been diminished.
“There haven’t been any attacks on Americans. I would consider that a hold,” Mr Shanahan told reporters.
“That doesn’t mean that the threats that we’ve previously identified have gone away. Our prudent response, I think, has given the Iranians time to recalculate,” he said.
Later on Tuesday, Mr Shanahan along with Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Joseph Dunford will brief lawmakers on Iran.
The US military deployed a carrier strike group, bombers and Patriot missiles to the Middle East earlier this month in response to what Washington said were troubling indications of possible preparations for an attack by Iran.
Rhetoric between Tehran and Washington has escalated in recent weeks as the US tightened sanctions with what it said was the goal of pushing Iran to make concessions beyond the terms of a 2015 multinational deal to curb Iran’s nuclear program. President Donald Trump pulled the United States out of the deal in 2018.
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