Divisions within the Pentagon.. and Washington withdraws an aircraft carrier from the Gulf
CNN reported on US Defense Department officials: “The acting US Secretary of Defense, Christopher Miller, decided to withdraw the Nimitz aircraft carrier from Gulf waters to reduce tension with Iran.”
In exclusive statements to CNN, the officials ruled out an imminent Iranian attack on US forces, stressing that some in the administration of the outgoing President, Donald Trump, exaggerate Iran’s threat and the possibility of launching an attack in retaliation for the killing of the former Quds Force commander. General Qasem Soleimani.
The officials acknowledged that there are divisions within the Pentagon over the current threat level from Iran and the militias supported by it, stressing that the tension is due to intelligence that Iran is planning to attack US forces.
But they emphasized that there is still no confirmed information indicating an imminent Iranian attack on US forces.
In turn, the US Central Command announced that two strategic bombers, “B-52” (B52), flew over the Gulf, to confirm what it said was a commitment on the part of the US military towards the security of the region. “The American forces are ready and able to respond to any aggression against Americans and the interests of the United States,” said Central Command Commander General Kenneth McKinsey.
McKinsey cautioned against underestimating America’s capabilities to defend its forces or to act decisively in response to any attack. But he stressed, on the other hand, that Washington is not seeking to fight through these moves.
Two days ago, Iran had warned of any violation of the red lines related to its security in the Gulf, after press reports of Israeli submarine movements towards the region, and stressed that it would defend itself against any “adventure” that the Donald Trump administration might have taken in its final days.
The US Navy announced last week that a nuclear submarine had sailed in the Strait of Hormuz, in a move that was considered a display of its strength as the first anniversary of the assassination of the Iranian Major General, Qasem Soleimani, by an American strike in Iraq approaches.
Iran is preparing this week to commemorate Soleimani, the former commander of the Quds Force in the Revolutionary Guards, who was assassinated in a US air strike near Baghdad airport on January 3, 2020.
The approaching date of the anniversary coincides with Washington’s accusation that Tehran was behind a missile attack targeting its embassy in Iraq, which Iran denied, reiterating its refusal to target diplomatic missions.
