The US has dispatched an aircraft carrier and bomber task force to the Middle East after receiving "clear indications" that Iran was preparing to possibly attack US forces in the region. National security adviser John Bolton said the move to deploy the USS Abraham Lincoln Carrier Strike Group and a bomber task force to the Gulf was in response to "a number of troubling and escalatory indications and warnings". He did not provide details, but said the US wanted to send a message that "unrelenting force" would meet any attack on US interests or those of its allies. "The United States is not seeking war with the Iranian regime, but we are fully prepared to respond to any attack, whether by proxy, the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, or regular Iranian forces," he said. The Abraham Lincoln and its strike group of ships and combat aircraft have been taking part in training operations in the Mediterranean Sea. Advertisement Secretary of state Mike Pompeo said: "It is absolutely the case that we have seen escalatory actions from the Iranians and it is equally the case that we will hold the Iranians accountable for attacks on American interests. "If these actions take place, if they do by some third-party proxy, a militia group, Hezbollah, we will hold the Iranian leadership directly accountable for that." Asked about "escalatory actions", he added: "I don't want to talk about what underlays it, but make no mistake, we have good reason to want to communicate clearly about how the Iranians should understand how we will respond to actions they may take." President Trump's administration has been increasing pressure on the Iranian government after withdrawing from a landmark nuclear deal last year and more recently blacklisting the country's Revolutionary Guard Corps as a terrorist organisation. Washington has also said it will end exemptions from sanctions for five countries - China, India, Japan, South Korea and Turkey - that are still buying Iranian oil.<doc-sep>The USS Abraham Lincoln passes a mosque on the bank of the Suez Canal. Navy photo The nuclear-powered aircraft carrier USS Abraham Lincoln and its strike group have passed through the Suez Canal in Egypt and entered the 5th Fleet area of operations in the Middle East. The Lincoln, which left Norfolk on April 1 and will head to its new home port of San Diego at the end of its current deployment, is replacing the carrier USS John Stennis in the region. The giant ship’s movement into the tense region was expedited last week, with U.S. National Security Advisor John Bolton saying it would “send a clear and unmistakable message to the Iranian regime.” The Lincoln carries 90 attack jets, helicopters and other aircraft. I has a crew of 3,200 and an additional team of 2,400 pilots, mechanics and other personnel supporting flight operations. Accompanying the Lincoln on the passage through the 120-mile-long waterway on Thursday were the guided-missile cruiser USS Leyte Gulf, guided-missile destroyer USS Bainbridge and Spanish Navy frigate ESPS Mendez Nunez. “Our Navy exists to deter conflict, ensure freedom of the seas, preserve our strategic interests and those of our allies, and respond to crises around the world,” said Rear Adm. John Wade, commander of Carrier Strike Group Twelve. “We have trained hard and worked diligently to ensure we are prepared and ready to conduct a whole host of missions wherever and whenever required.” The Navy typically deploys one aircraft carrier battle group and one Marine expeditionary unit led by an amphibious assault ship in the Middle East at all times. The USS Kearsage amphibious group is there now, to be replaced soon by the USS Boxer, which left San Diego on May 1.<doc-sep>The United States is deploying a carrier strike group and a bomber task force to the Middle East in response to what it called "troubling and escalatory indications and warnings" from Iran, national security adviser John Bolton John BoltonRepublicans request documents on Kerry's security clearance process Trump pushes back on Bolton poll Hillicon Valley: Facebook Oversight board to rule on Trump ban in 'coming weeks' | Russia blocks Biden Cabinet officials in retaliation for sanctions MORE announced on Sunday. Bolton said in a statement that the USS Abraham Lincoln Carrier Strike Group and a bomber task force would be deployed to a region overseen by the Pentagon's U.S. Central Command, whose area of responsibility includes the Middle East. "In response to a number of troubling and escalatory indications and warnings, the United States is deploying the USS Abraham Lincoln Carrier Strike Group and a bomber task force to the U.S. Central Command region to send a clear and unmistakable message to the Iranian regime that any attack on United States interests or on those of our allies will be met with unrelenting force," Bolton said. ADVERTISEMENT "The United States is not seeking war with the Iranian regime, but we are fully prepared to respond to any attack, whether by proxy, the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, or regular Iranian forces," he added. It's not unusual for an aircraft carrier to be deployed to the region, but the language used in Bolton's statement suggests the U.S. is seeking to ramp up pressure on Iran to counter what the White House perceives to be a potential threat. The Trump administration has made several moves recently aimed at Tehran, announcing last month new sanctions targeting foreign countries that receive Iranian oil exports. Axios reported on Sunday that the White House is planning to announce further sanctions later this week. The statement also comes as new violence flares between Israel and the Palestinians in Gaza. The group Islamic Jihad, which has a foothold in Gaza, is seen as an Iranian proxy. In April, the U.S. designated Iran's Revolutionary Guard a foreign terrorist organization, the first time the designation has been applied to a government entity. Iran responded in kind, designating all U.S. troops in the Middle East terrorists. “We will answer any action taken against this force with a reciprocal action. So the leaders of America, who themselves are the creators and supporters of terrorists in the (Middle East) region, will regret this inappropriate and idiotic action," hundreds of Iranian lawmakers said in a statement accompanying the designation. The White House and U.S. Central Command did not immediately respond to a request for clarification from The Hill on where forces will be deployed and which incidents Bolton's statement referenced.<doc-sep>
The United States is sending a carrier strike group and a bomber task force to the Middle East to send a "clear and unmistakable message" to Iran, President Donald Trump's national security adviser announced Sunday night. While John Bolton said the U.S. wasn't seeking to go to war with Iran, "we are fully prepared to respond to any attack, whether by proxy, the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, or regular Iranian forces." He added: "Any attack on United States interests or on those of our allies will be met with unrelenting force." Bolton said the USS Abraham Lincoln Carrier Strike Group and an unspecified bomber task force were being sent to U.S. Central Command's region of responsibility, which covers the Middle East. According to the Navy, the strike group left Naval Station Norfolk, Virginia, on April 1 on a regularly scheduled deployment. The strike group consists of the Abraham Lincoln, a Nimitz-class aircraft carrier; the USS Leyte Gulf, a Ticonderoga-class guided missile cruiser; Carrier Air Wing Seven; and destroyers from Destroyer Squadron Two. In a brief statement, Bolton didn't say what specific actions or provocations the United States was responding to. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo also declined to cite specifics, saying Sunday night that the move was unrelated to the deadly violence over the weekend in the Gaza Strip, where Iran is widely reported to fund Palestinian Islamic Jihad. "It's something we’ve been working on for a little while," Pompeo told reporters aboard his flight to Europe. "It is absolutely the case that we have seen escalatory actions from the Iranians, and it is equally the case that we will hold the Iranians accountable for attacks on American interests," he said. "If these actions take place — if they do by some third-party proxy, a militia group, Hezbollah — we will hold the Iranian leadership directly accountable for that." The announcement comes two days after the Trump administration imposed new limits on Iran's nuclear activities. Trump said last month that the United States would no longer exempt any nation from U.S. sanctions if it buys Iranian oil. NBC News has previously reported that Bolton, who has long been considered a hawk on Iran, has clashed with officials at the State Department who favor maintaining all of the waivers. Last month, the Trump administration designated the Revolutionary Guard as a terrorist organization, the first time the United States has placed the designation on part of another country's government. The designation categorizes Iran's military alongside groups like ISIS, al Qaeda, Hezbollah and Hamas.