After Dubious Oil Tanker Attacks, Trump Sends 1,000 More Troops To Middle East

President Donald Trump is escalating tensions in the Middle East after a dubious U.S. intelligence report blamed Iran for recent oil tanker attacks in the Gulf of Oman. He will be sending 1,000 more troops to the Middle East as a response to so-called Iranian aggression.

“In response to a request from the U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) for additional forces, and with the advice of the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff and in consultation with the White House, I have authorized approximately 1,000 additional troops for defensive purposes to address air, naval, and ground-based threats in the Middle East,” acting Defense Secretary Patrick Shanahan said in a statement on Monday.

Although they are sending troops into the region, Shanahan maintains that the Trump administration does not war. They just want their “national interests” to be protected.

“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,” Shanahan said.

“The United States does not seek conflict with Iran,” Shanahan added. “The action today is being taken to ensure the safety and welfare of our military personnel working throughout the region and to protect our national interests. We will continue to monitor the situation diligently and make adjustments to force levels as necessary given intelligence reporting and credible threats.”

Less than a month ago, Trump sent 1,500 troops to the Middle East because of fears about Iran. The military buildup continues as the U.S. lurches closer to another Middle East war.

U.S. intelligence is offering this grainy video as the supposed proof that the dastardly Iranians committed the oil tanker attacks with limpet mines.

Meanwhile, the president of the Japanese company that owns the oil tankers claims that U.S. intelligence reports are “incorrect” because sailors aboard the vessel saw “flying objects” hurling toward them before it was struck.

“[The attack] was not from a mine,” Kokuka Sangyo President Yutaka Katada said.

“It’s hard to believe the tanker was attacked [only] because it was operated by a Japanese company,” he added.

Other world powers such as Russia and China dispute that Iran was behind the attack as well, and the United Nations is calling for an actual investigation before the U.S. rushes to conclusions. It is very possible that this is the new version of Iraq’s “weapons of mass destruction” lie meant to gin up support for another intervention.

President Trump once called the Iraq War the worst blunder in U.S. history, but he may top the stupidity of George W. Bush with a war in Iran if he is not careful. With the troop additions, the military-industrial complex is clearly seizing control of Trump’s foreign policy.