The U.S. Defense Department has announced that the deployment of an additional warship and a Patriot battery to the Persian Gulf as tensions between Iran and America ramp up over Pentagon allegations that the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps was planning an attack on American forces or interests in the region.
The United States removed Patriot missile batteries from Kuwait, Bahrain and Jordan in late 2018.
The USS Abraham Lincoln carrier strike group has already arrived in the Red Sea, having been moved to the region earlier this week after U.S. officials said Iran moved short-range ballistic missiles onto boats on its shore.
On Friday, the Pentagon announced it would replace the USS McHenry in the region ahead of schedule with the transport ship USS Arlington. The 22nd Marine Expeditionary Unit is also being dispatched.
The destroyer USS McFaul and ammunition ship USNS Alan Shepard have been moved from the Red Sea to the Strait of Hormuz.
Two B-52 bombers have arrived in Qatar, and several U.S. F-35 fighter jets have been sent to the UAE as well.
