‘We May Be Moving Toward a Military Confrontation’

As a U.S. aircraft carrier strike group and four nuclear-capable bombers arrive in the Middle East, a veteran politician who sits on the Senate Armed Services Committee is warning that National Security Advisor John Bolton’s confrontational style could provoke a dangerous escalation with Iran. It was Bolton, not the Pentagon, who on Sunday announced the movement of U.S. forces, which the administration said was designed to send a “clear and unmistakable” message to Tehran. The decision, made in response to what acting Defense Secretary Patrick Shanahan called “very, very credible” intelligence warning of an imminent threat, was meant to deter Iran or proxy forces from launching an attack on U.S. forces in the region.