Reuters
- Democratic lawmakers have expressed concern about a potential war with Iran amid rising tensions between Washington and Tehran.
- The Trump administration has rejected the notion it’s moving toward war despite deploying military assets to the region in response to alleged threats.
- Critics of President Donald Trump believe the situation is being driven and escalated by National Security John Bolton, who has a long record of animosity toward Iran.
- Some reports have suggested the Trump administration is planning on sending 120,000 troops to the Middle East as part of a plan to take on Iran.
- Trump rejected these reports, but said he’d "send a hell of a lot more troops than that" if necessary.
- Trump on May 19 issued a grave threat to Iran, tweeting, "If Iran wants to fight, that will be the official end of Iran. Never threaten the United States again!"
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Rising tensions between the US and Iran have sparked fears of a military confrontation and potentially an all-out war.
Democrats, including a number of candidates for the 2020 Democratic nomination, have warned that President Donald Trump and his National Security Adviser John Bolton are "inching" toward conflict.
Meanwhile, the Trump administration rejects the notion that they are seeking a war and Iranian leaders have made similar assertions. But many lawmakers and experts in the US are still concerned.
Here’s a timeline of the evolving situation, and a summary of what both countries have been saying.
Read more: The US is sending a ton of firepower to take on Iran — here’s everything headed its way
Read more: Trump says he’d send ‘a hell of a lot more’ than 120,000 troops to fight Iran if it came to that
On May 5, National Security Adviser John Bolton released a statement announcing the US was deploying an aircraft carrier strike group and B-52 bombers to the Middle East to counter threats from Iran.
Reuters
Source: WhiteHouse.gov
Bolton said that the deployment was designed to send "a clear and unmistakable message to the Iranian regime that any attack" on the US or its allies "will be met with unrelenting force." Bolton added, "The United States is not seeking war with the Iranian regime, but we are fully prepared to respond to any attack."
Reuters
The USS Abraham Lincoln carrier strike group, which consists of the carrier and its powerful carrier air wing, as well as one cruiser and four destroyers, moved into the region earlier this month along with a number of B-52 Stratofortress heavy long-range bombers.
Suez Canal Authority via AP
Source: INSIDER
See the rest of the story at Business Insider
See Also:
- The US military is exploring a plan to deploy 120,000 troops to the Middle East as tensions with Iran intensify
- US fighters and bombers flew over the Persian Gulf in a warning to Iran
- The US is sending a ton of firepower to take on Iran — here’s everything headed its way
Source: Business Insider – feedback@businessinsider.com (John Haltiwanger)