A short time ago, the White House Press Secretary issued the following statement from National Security Advisor Ambassador John Bolton:

"In response to a number of troubling and escalatory indications and warnings, 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. 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."

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As AlertsUSA has previously warned, new US sanctions on any nation or entity purchasing oil from Iran would likely dramatically increase tensions in the Persian Gulf region.