The US Navy also shared new images which it says links Iran to attacks on oil tankers last week.
Acting US Secretary of Defense Patrick Shanahan has announced the deployment of about 1,000 more troops to the Middle East for what he said were “defensive purposes”.
“I have authorised approximately 1,000 additional troops for defensive purposes to address air, naval, and ground-based threats in the Middle East,” wrote acting Secretary of Defense Pat Shanahan in a statement Monday.
“The recent Iranian attacks validate the reliable, credible intelligence we have received on hostile behavior by Iranian forces and their proxy groups that threaten United States personnel and interests across the region.”
The US Navy also shared new images which it says links Iran to attacks last week on two oil tankers in the Gulf of Oman.
The US has accused Iran of blowing holes in the vessels with mines while Iran has denied the allegations.
The new deployment of troops is in addition to an increase last month that brought US troops in the region up to 1,500 and will include forces who operate the US military’s airborne intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance capabilities that help detect threats and capture sensitive imagery and intelligence.
On Monday tensions were further fuelled when Iran said its stockpile of low-enriched uranium would next week exceed levels set under the 2015 nuclear agreement.
The US has withdrawn from the agreement which limited Iran’s nuclear programme in exchange for lifting sanctions on the country.
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