The USS Abraham Lincoln is now on station in the northern Arabian Sea, two weeks early to deter Iran, multiple U.S. defense officials have told Fox News. Pentagon officials have taken great pains to emphasize the new American forces sent to the region are to deter Iran, not start a war. The concern is some of the Iranian missiles appear headed to Iraq, and look similar to previous shipments in September. Among the warships in the Lincoln Strike group are the guided-missile destroyers USS Bainbridge (DDG-96), USS Mason (DDG-87), and USS Nitze (DDG-94) and the guided-missile cruiser USS Leyte Gulf (CG-55). Hunt's statement comes two days after a British Army general told Pentagon reporters there was "no increased threat from Iranian-backed forces in Iraq and Syria."

Source: Fox News May 16, 2019 14:38 UTC