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Gates: New US Carrier in Gulf a "Reminder" to Iran
By David Morgan
Reuters
Tuesday 29 April 2008
Mexico City - The US Navy has temporarily added a second aircraft carrier in
the Gulf as a "reminder" to Iran, but this was not an escalation of
American forces in the region, U.S. Defense Secretary Robert Gates said on Tuesday.
Speaking to reporters during a trip to Mexico, Gates flatly denied a suggestion
that the presence of two US carriers in the Gulf could be a precursor to military
action against Tehran.
"This deployment has been planned for a long time," Gates said. "I
don't think we'll have two carriers there for a protracted period of time. So
I don't see it as an escalation. I think it could be seen, though, as a reminder."
He declined to elaborate on his remarks and provided no details about the deployment.
Pentagon spokesman Geoff Morrell said the second carrier arrived in the Gulf
on Tuesday to replace one on duty that was expected to depart the region in
two days.
U.S. Navy officials were not immediately available for comment.
News of the second carrier came amid simmering tension between the United States
and Iran that has fed speculation about a possible U.S. military strike.
Navy Adm. Mike Mullen, chairman of the U.S. Joint Chiefs of Staff, said last
week that the Pentagon had military options it could consider against Tehran
but stressed that the United States would continue to rely on diplomatic and
economic methods to address its concerns.
Iran and the United States have repeatedly clashed over U.S. claims that Tehran
is pursuing nuclear arms and aiding Shi'ite militants in Iraq who have recently
stepped up attacks on U.S.-led coalition forces.
Tehran maintains it is pursuing a civilian nuclear energy program and blames
violence in Iraq on the presence of about 160,000 U.S. forces.
There have also been confrontations between U.S. ships and small boats in the
region, including vessels the Pentagon has described as Iranian craft.
Last week, a cargo ship hired by the U.S. military fired warning shots in the
Gulf at two unidentified boats that approached the U.S. vessel while ignoring
radio communications and a warning flare. The boats left the area after what
the Navy described as "a few bursts" of machine gun fire.
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Editing by Chris Wilson.
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