US to send 1,000 additional troops to the Middle East as tensions escalate with Iran

Source: ABC GMA

June 17, 2019 at 18:54

1st Lt. Leland White/U.S. National Guard A U.S. Army weapons squad operates a pair of machine guns during an aerial response force live-fire training exercise in Iraq, Oct. 31, 2018.

Iran attempted to shoot down a U.S. drone that was surveilling the attack on one of two tankers hit in the Gulf of Oman last week, CENTCOM said. The attempt missed the MQ-9 Reaper by "approximately one kilometer."

The United States is sending 1,000 additional troops to the Middle East, amid rising tensions between the U.S. and Iran. The decision follows last week's attack on two tankers in the Gulf of Oman that the U.S. blamed on Tehran, with the Pentagon releasing new images on Monday that officials said show Iranian Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) members removing an unexploded mine from one of the ship's hulls.

"In response to a request from the U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) for additional forces, and with the advice of the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff and in consultation with the White House, I have authorized approximately 1,000 additional troops for defensive purposes to address air, naval, and ground-based threats in the Middle East," acting Defense Secretary Patrick Shanahan said in a statement on Monday.

(MORE: Pentagon releases new photos as proof Iran was behind tanker attacks)

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