Acting US Defense Secretary Patrick Shanahan announced on Monday the deployment of about 1,000 more troops to the Middle East for what he said were “defensive purposes,” citing concerns about a threat from Iran.
“FOR DEFENSIVE PURPOSES”
“The recent Iranian attacks validate the reliable, credible intelligence we have received on hostile behavior by Iranian forces and their proxy groups that threaten United States personnel and interests across the region,” Shanahan said in a statement.
The additional forces are “for defensive purposes to address air, naval, and ground-based threats in the Middle East,” the statement added.
Those deployments came in response to what the Pentagon and White House called signs of possible impending attacks by Iran.
