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Iran 'threat' has diminished, says US defense secretary [View all]
Source: The Guardian
Iran 'threat' has diminished, says US defense secretary
• Patrick Shanahan credits US show of force
• Remarks appear to be a sign tension is easing
Julian Borger in Washington and Patrick Wintour in London
Tue 21 May 2019 18.11 BST Last modified on Tue 21 May 2019 21.57 BST
The acting US defence secretary has claimed that the alleged threat from Iran has receded as the result of an American show of force in the Middle East.
“We’ve put on hold the potential for attacks on Americans,” Patrick Shanahan told reporters before briefing Congress on the situation in the Persian Gulf and the military deployments that the US said were a response to a danger of imminent attack.
The arrival of an aircraft carrier and its accompanying ships was recently accelerated, and B-52 bombers were sent to Qatar. Tensions increased with mysterious sabotage attacks on oil tankers in the Gulf, and drone strikes on Saudi oil installations, claimed by Iranian-backed Houthi rebels in Yemen.
Nerves in the region were put even more on edge on Sunday by Donald Trump’s tweeted threat that any conflict with the US would mean “the official end of Iran”.
The remarks from Shanahan appeared to be a sign that tensions were easing.
-snip-
• Patrick Shanahan credits US show of force
• Remarks appear to be a sign tension is easing
Julian Borger in Washington and Patrick Wintour in London
Tue 21 May 2019 18.11 BST Last modified on Tue 21 May 2019 21.57 BST
The acting US defence secretary has claimed that the alleged threat from Iran has receded as the result of an American show of force in the Middle East.
“We’ve put on hold the potential for attacks on Americans,” Patrick Shanahan told reporters before briefing Congress on the situation in the Persian Gulf and the military deployments that the US said were a response to a danger of imminent attack.
The arrival of an aircraft carrier and its accompanying ships was recently accelerated, and B-52 bombers were sent to Qatar. Tensions increased with mysterious sabotage attacks on oil tankers in the Gulf, and drone strikes on Saudi oil installations, claimed by Iranian-backed Houthi rebels in Yemen.
Nerves in the region were put even more on edge on Sunday by Donald Trump’s tweeted threat that any conflict with the US would mean “the official end of Iran”.
The remarks from Shanahan appeared to be a sign that tensions were easing.
-snip-
Read more: https://www.theguardian.com/world/2019/may/21/iran-us-latest-news-threat-diminished-says-defense-secretary
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Was the threat really there in the first place?
3 replies
= new reply since forum marked as read
= new reply since forum marked as read