• The US is deploying a bomber task force and other military resources as a show of “unrelenting force” in response to Iranian threats, national security adviser John Bolton said on Sunday.
• Bolton said the decision was in response to a “number of troubling and escalatory indications and warnings.”
• A defence source told Associated Press that the White House announcement on Sunday was prompted by “clear indications” that Iranian forces and proxy groups were preparing for a possible attack on US forces in the region.
• Visit the Businessinsider.com homepage for more stories.

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The US is deploying a bomber task force and other military resources as a show of “unrelenting force” in response to Iranian threats, national security adviser John Bolton said on Sunday.

“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 US 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 in a statement.

“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.”

Tensions remain high between Iran and the US after a series of retaliatory measures. Earlier this month, the Trump administration designated Iran’s elite Revolutionary Guards as a terrorist organisation. Within hours of that announcement, Iran responded with a similar measure against US forces in the Middle East.

The Trump administration has also said it would end sanctions waivers that previously allowed certain countries to buy oil from Iran, vowing to “bring Iran’s oil exports to zero.” The decision primarily affects China and India, as well as Japan, South Korea, and Turkey.

A US defence official told Associated Press that the White House’s announcement on Sunday was prompted by “clear indications” that Iranian forces and proxy groups were preparing for a possible attack on US forces in the region.

The source told AP that the Pentagon approved the deployments and said potential targets may have included forces stationed on land and at sea.

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