A Navy carrier strike group has entered the waters around the Middle East, four days after U.S. officials announced they were dispatching a show of military strength to the region in response to threats from Iran. The Abraham Lincoln Strike Group transited the Suez Canal on Thursday, passing from the Mediterranean Sea to the Red Sea through the 120-mile channel, Navy officials announced. The Lincoln, which deployed in late March from its Norfolk, Virginia, homeport, brings with it the Ticonderoga-class guided-missile cruiser Leyte Gulf and the Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyer Bainbridge, as well as a Spanish frigate, the Mendez Nunez. "[The Lincoln Strike Group] has been conducting operations in the U.S. 6th Fleet area of operations for several weeks, but expedited their transit to U.S. Central Command to protect U.S. forces and interests in the region," Navy officials said in a statement. "[The strike group] will be positioned by CENTCOM where it will be best able to protect U.S. forces and interests in the region and to deter any aggression." RELATED VIDEO: National Security Adviser John Bolton released a statement May 5 announcing that the U.S. was "deploying" the Lincoln Carrier Strike Group, along with a task force of B-52 bombers, to CENTCOM 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." Officials have not clarified the nature of the perceived threat, but the move does come amid ramped-up tensions between the U.S. and the Iranian regime. President Donald Trump last year withdrew the U.S. from the 2015 Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action, an agreement limiting Iran's ability to acquire and develop nuclear weapons, after asserting many times that it was a bad-faith deal. Last month, the U.S. took the unprecedented step of designated Iran's Revolutionary Guard Corps a foreign terrorist organization, a move that Trump said "recognizes the reality" that Iran is a state sponsor of terrorism. The Iranian government promised retaliation, and responded within days by passing a measure labeling all U.S. military forces as terrorist. The Lincoln Strike Group joins the Navy's Kearsarge Amphibious Ready Group in the Middle East. The Kearsarge was previously positioned in the Persian Gulf as part of routine deployed operations. It's not clear how much faster the Lincoln, which had always been bound for the Middle East, arrived in the region. While in the 6th Fleet and en route to the Red Sea, the Lincoln hosted NATO representatives from nations including Finland, Germany, Greece, the Kingdom of Denmark, Poland, the Republic of Bulgaria, Spain and the United Kingdom on May 7, according to a military news release. "Our Navy exists to deter conflict, ensure freedom of the seas, preserve our strategic interests and those of our allies, and respond to crises around the world," Rear Adm. John Wade, commander of the strike group, said in a statement. "We have trained hard and worked diligently to ensure we are prepared and ready to conduct a whole host of missions wherever and whenever required." -- Hope Hodge Seck can be reached at hope.seck@military.com. Follow her on Twitter at @HopeSeck.<doc-sep>This post has been updated with new information on the position of USS Arlington The amphibious warship is currently in 6th Fleet and not currently in 5th Fleet. The Pentagon is sending amphibious warship USS Arlington (LPD-24) and elements of the 22nd Marine Expeditionary Unit to join the Abraham Lincoln Carrier Strike Group as a hedge against Iran, according to a Friday Pentagon statement. “USS Arlington is a San Antonio-class ship that transports U.S. Marines, amphibious vehicles, conventional landing craft and rotary aircraft with the capability to support amphibious assault, special operations, or expeditionary warfare missions,” read the statement. “Arlington also provides a high-quality command and control capability and improved interoperability with our allies and partners in the region.” The Lincoln CSG was ordered to depart the Mediterranean Sea for U.S. 5th Fleet and U.S. Central Command’s (CENTCOM) area of operation, “in response to indications of heightened Iranian readiness to conduct offensive operations against U.S. forces and our interests,” according to the statement CENTCOM Commander Marine Gen. Kenneth McKenzie asked for the Lincoln CSG and a detachment of B-52 Stratofortress bombers to be sent to the region, following assessments made a week ago by the U.S. National Security Advisor John Bolton about a “number of troubling and escalatory indications and warnings.” On Thursday, the Lincoln CSG left the Mediterranean and transited the Suez Canal, officially entering U.S. 5th Fleet and U.S. Central Command. As of Saturday, Arlington was in 6th Fleet operating as part of the Kearsarge Amphibious Ready Group (ARG). USS Kearsarge (LHD-3) and USS Fort McHenry (LSD-43) are currently operating in 5th Fleet. Shanahan also ordered a U.S. Army Patriot missile battery to U.S. Central Command as part of the command’s original request for forces from earlier this week. “A Patriot battery is a long-range, all-weather air defense system to counter tactical ballistic missiles, cruise missiles and advanced aircraft,” read the statement. The Wall Street Journal first reported the Patriot deployment on Friday. The Lincoln CSG deployed on April 1, as the start of a planned around-the-world cruise so USS Abraham Lincoln (CVN-72) can relocate later this year to its new homeport in San Diego, Calif. As part of the deployment, the Lincoln CSG was expected to operate in the Mediterranean, the Middle East and the Western Pacific. “The United States does not seek conflict with Iran, but we are postured and ready to defend U.S. forces and interests in the region. The following is the May 10, 2019 statement from the Pentagon. Statement from the Department of Defense on Additional Forces to U.S. Central Command The Acting Secretary of Defense has approved the movement of USS Arlington (LPD-24) and a Patriot battery to U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) as part of the command’s original request for forces from earlier this week. These assets will join the USS Abraham Lincoln Carrier Strike Group and a U.S. Air Force bomber task force in the Middle East region in response to indications of heightened Iranian readiness to conduct offensive operations against U.S. forces and our interests. The Department of Defense continues to closely monitor the activities of the Iranian regime, their military and proxies. Due to operational security, we will not discuss timelines or location of forces. The United States does not seek conflict with Iran, but we are postured and ready to defend U.S. forces and interests in the region,” the Pentagon said. USS Arlington is a San Antonio-class ship that transports U.S. Marines, amphibious vehicles, conventional landing craft and rotary aircraft with the capability to support amphibious assault, special operations, or expeditionary warfare missions. USS Arlington also provides a high quality command and control capability and improved interoperability with our allies and partners in the region. A Patriot battery is a long-range, all-weather air defense system to counter tactical ballistic missiles, cruise missiles and advanced aircraft.<doc-sep>The United States is sending a carrier strike group and a bomber task force to the Middle East to send a "clear and unmistakable message" to Iran, President Donald Trump's national security adviser announced Sunday night. While John Bolton said the U.S. wasn't seeking to go to war with Iran, "we are fully prepared to respond to any attack, whether by proxy, the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, or regular Iranian forces." He added: "Any attack on United States interests or on those of our allies will be met with unrelenting force." Bolton said the USS Abraham Lincoln Carrier Strike Group and an unspecified bomber task force were being sent to U.S. Central Command's region of responsibility, which covers the Middle East. According to the Navy, the strike group left Naval Station Norfolk, Virginia, on April 1 on a regularly scheduled deployment. The strike group consists of the Abraham Lincoln, a Nimitz-class aircraft carrier; the USS Leyte Gulf, a Ticonderoga-class guided missile cruiser; Carrier Air Wing Seven; and destroyers from Destroyer Squadron Two. In a brief statement, Bolton didn't say what specific actions or provocations the United States was responding to. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo also declined to cite specifics, saying Sunday night that the move was unrelated to the deadly violence over the weekend in the Gaza Strip, where Iran is widely reported to fund Palestinian Islamic Jihad. "It's something we’ve been working on for a little while," Pompeo told reporters aboard his flight to Europe. "It is absolutely the case that we have seen escalatory actions from the Iranians, and it is equally the case that we will hold the Iranians accountable for attacks on American interests," he said. "If these actions take place — if they do by some third-party proxy, a militia group, Hezbollah — we will hold the Iranian leadership directly accountable for that." The announcement comes two days after the Trump administration imposed new limits on Iran's nuclear activities. Trump said last month that the United States would no longer exempt any nation from U.S. sanctions if it buys Iranian oil. NBC News has previously reported that Bolton, who has long been considered a hawk on Iran, has clashed with officials at the State Department who favor maintaining all of the waivers. Last month, the Trump administration designated the Revolutionary Guard as a terrorist organization, the first time the United States has placed the designation on part of another country's government. The designation categorizes Iran's military alongside groups like ISIS, al Qaeda, Hezbollah and Hamas.<doc-sep>
The United States is deploying a carrier strike group and a bomber task force to the Middle East in response to what it called "troubling and escalatory indications and warnings" from Iran, national security adviser John Bolton John BoltonRepublicans request documents on Kerry's security clearance process Trump pushes back on Bolton poll Hillicon Valley: Facebook Oversight board to rule on Trump ban in 'coming weeks' | Russia blocks Biden Cabinet officials in retaliation for sanctions MORE announced on Sunday. Bolton said in a statement that the USS Abraham Lincoln Carrier Strike Group and a bomber task force would be deployed to a region overseen by the Pentagon's U.S. Central Command, whose area of responsibility includes the Middle East. "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," Bolton said. ADVERTISEMENT "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," he added. It's not unusual for an aircraft carrier to be deployed to the region, but the language used in Bolton's statement suggests the U.S. is seeking to ramp up pressure on Iran to counter what the White House perceives to be a potential threat. The Trump administration has made several moves recently aimed at Tehran, announcing last month new sanctions targeting foreign countries that receive Iranian oil exports. Axios reported on Sunday that the White House is planning to announce further sanctions later this week. The statement also comes as new violence flares between Israel and the Palestinians in Gaza. The group Islamic Jihad, which has a foothold in Gaza, is seen as an Iranian proxy. In April, the U.S. designated Iran's Revolutionary Guard a foreign terrorist organization, the first time the designation has been applied to a government entity. Iran responded in kind, designating all U.S. troops in the Middle East terrorists. “We will answer any action taken against this force with a reciprocal action. So the leaders of America, who themselves are the creators and supporters of terrorists in the (Middle East) region, will regret this inappropriate and idiotic action," hundreds of Iranian lawmakers said in a statement accompanying the designation. The White House and U.S. Central Command did not immediately respond to a request for clarification from The Hill on where forces will be deployed and which incidents Bolton's statement referenced.