UPDATE: US military decision to surge a carrier strike group and Air Force bombers to the Middle East was based on Iranian threats to US military forces and civilians at multiple locations in the region, according to US officials and a Defense official.
area of responsibility, which I approved yesterday, represents a prudent repositioning of assets in response to indications of a credible threat by Iranian regime forces.Brett McGurk, former U.S. envoy for the fight against ISIS and now an NBC News analyst, said on MSNBC Monday that it would have been better to convey such a strong message privately, and he didn't think it was"smart" to cut off all diplomatic channels and all communication with the Iranians.
"In the middle of the Cold War, Ronald Reagan railed against the Soviet Union as an evil empire and we still had multiple channels of diplomacy open. I think that's smart. Right now we have no channels of diplomacy open. So the risk of a clash, the risk of an inadvertent conflict, is increasing." "This is a president who is clearly willing to put the military option back on the table in a credible way, and [the carrier group and bombers] reinforce the administration’s willingness to use military power if circumstances warrant it," said Mark Dubowitz of the Foundation for Defense of Democracies, which has favored imposing tough sanctions on Iran.
But Dylan Williams, vice president of the J Street advocacy group, which has sharply criticized the administration’s approach to Iran, said the White House appeared to be laying the ground for war. “With aggressive statements about the deployment of U.S. warships to the region and other belligerent rhetoric," said Williams,"the Trump administration is laying the groundwork for an unnecessary new war of choice which Congress has not authorized and which the American people do not want. It’s now vital that lawmakers take responsible steps to head off this steady march towards armed conflict — before it’s too late.
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