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The United States has deployed an aircraft carrier to the Middle East following troubling and escalatory indications. The White House official said that forces in Iran were preparing an attack on U.S troops in the region. On Sunday, the U.S National security adviser John Bolton said the decision was designed to send a clear and unmistakable message that any attack on the U.S interests would be met with unrelenting force. The deployment was approved after reports that U.S forces at sea and on land were potential targets.

Bolton said, “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”. The USS Abraham Lincoln Carrier Strike Group and a bomber task force have been sent to the U.S Central Command region, which includes the Middle East. Bolton didn’t provide details on the alleged attack but the statement is expected to raise tensions between the U.S and Iran. The U.S Secretary of state Mike Pompeo informed reporters that the actions by the U.S had been planned for some time.

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”. Pompeo informed reporters that Iran’s actions were unrelated to the recent conflict in Gaza and Israel. The deployment is the latest example of rising tensions between the Trump administration and Iran. Donald Trump announced last month the U.S will no longer exempt major importers of Iranian oil, such as China, India, Japan, South Korea, and Turkey from U.S sanctions if they continue to buy from the country.