Did you know that Truthout is a nonprofit and independently funded by readers like you? If you value what we do, please support our work with a donation.
In a late Sunday statement warning — without any evidence whatsoever — of “troubling and escalatory” actions by the Iranian government, U.S. national security advisor John Bolton used the scheduled deployment of an American aircraft carrier and bomber task force to the Middle East to threaten Iran with military action.
The United States, said Bolton, “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.”
Foreign policy analysts and international observers were quick to point out that the Lincoln Strike Group’s deployment was announced nearly a month ago — a fact critics highlighted as further evidence that Bolton is willing to use any and every opportunity to move the U.S. closer to war with Iran.
According to the Guardian, the U.S. “withdrew its B-1 bombers from the Middle East in March for maintenance and upgrades amid concerns the bomber force was over-stretched. While such changes in global deployment are made regularly, it is rare for the announcement of such deployments to be made by a national security advisor rather than the Pentagon.”
“Bolton wants war. He will do any provocation to get war,” tweeted Trita Parsi, founder of the National Iranian American Council.
Stephen Miles, director of Win Without War, said Bolton’s statement is “the latest indication that this administration is running full speed directly into a major war with Iran.”
“This is Bush and Iraq in 2002,” said Miles. “The time to stop their disastrous war plans is now!”
https://twitter.com/TylerCullis/status/1125202895589212160?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1125202895589212160&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.commondreams.org%2Fnews%2F2019%2F05%2F06%2Fitching-war-bolton-threatens-iran-unrelenting-force-us-bombers-deployed-middle-east
Bolton is itching for a war he can send other people to fight in. https://t.co/bEcwJ15whU
— Dan Froomkin (PressWatchers.org) (@froomkin) May 6, 2019
Bolton’s inflammatory statement came as the U.S. continues to intensify sanctions against Iran as part of its so-called “maximum pressure” campaign, which is directed by the national security adviser and Secretary of State Mike Pompeo.
Following Bolton’s statement late Sunday, Pompeo — also without citing a shred of evidence — echoed Bolton’s claim of “escalatory actions from the Iranians.”
“The Trump regime continues to threaten the planet with impunity,” tweeted journalist Ben Norton.
A terrifying moment. We appeal for your support.
In the last weeks, we have witnessed an authoritarian assault on communities in Minnesota and across the nation.
The need for truthful, grassroots reporting is urgent at this cataclysmic historical moment. Yet, Trump-aligned billionaires and other allies have taken over many legacy media outlets — the culmination of a decades-long campaign to place control of the narrative into the hands of the political right.
We refuse to let Trump’s blatant propaganda machine go unchecked. Untethered to corporate ownership or advertisers, Truthout remains fearless in our reporting and our determination to use journalism as a tool for justice.
But we need your help just to fund our basic expenses. Over 80 percent of Truthout’s funding comes from small individual donations from our community of readers, and over a third of our total budget is supported by recurring monthly donors.
Truthout has launched a fundraiser to add 460 new monthly donors in the next 8 days. Whether you can make a small monthly donation or a larger one-time gift, Truthout only works with your support.