Bolton: U.S. deploying carrier, bombers to Middle East to deter Iran

The United States is deploying a carrier strike group and bombers to the Middle East in response to troubling “indications and warnings” from Iran and to show the U.S. will retaliate with “unrelenting force” to any attack, national security adviser John Bolton said.

He said the decision, which could exacerbate problems between the two countries, was meant to send a “clear and unmistakable message” of U.S. resolve to Tehran.

“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,” Reuters cited the security adviser as saying.

“The United States is deploying the USS Abraham Lincoln Carrier Strike Group and a bomber task force to the U.S. 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 stressed.