Trump says ship attacks minor as US adds troops to Mideast

Bloomberg

The Pentagon plans to send about 1,000 more troops to the Middle East as tensions rise between the US and Iran, though President Donald Trump called two recent tanker attacks blamed on the Islamic Republic “very minor.”
“I have authorised 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. He offered no details on where the troops would be deployed or what their missions might be.
The US has accused the Iranians of being behind the attacks in the Gulf of Oman. The Tehran government has denied any involvement in the episode.
Trump, however, seemed to downplay the attacks in an interview with Time magazine. “So far, it’s been very minor,” he said. Asked if he was considering a military confrontation with Iran, he told Time, “I wouldn’t say that. I can’t say that at all.”
In the interview he also said that the Gulf of Oman and the Middle East were less of a concern than in the past because the US gets “very little” oil from the region.
Shanahan, in his statement, said the “attacks validate the reliable, credible intelligence we have received on hostile behaviour 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. 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,” he added.
The Pentagon released new photos and a timeline that it said bolstered US accusations that Iran was responsible for the attacks in the Gulf of Oman.
“Iran is responsible for the attack based on video evidence and the resources and proficiency needed to quickly remove the unexploded limpet mine,” according to a statement accompanying the photos.
Trump said that “Iran did it,” and UK officials said it was “almost certain” that Tehran was behind the attacks.
A Navy explosives expert, who is not part of the US investigation, told reporters that while the explosive only damaged the tanker Kokuka Courageous, he cannot infer what the attackers intended to accomplish.
The Pentagon took the unusual step of identifying the source of the imagery — in this case a Navy MH-60R surveillance helicopter that can fly and hover as it gathers imagery at lower altitudes than drones or P-8 maritime patrol craft.

China’s Wang warns against opening the ‘Pandora’s box’
Bloomberg

Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi warned against opening a ‘Pandora’s box’ in the Middle East, saying it was important to protect the legal rights of all parties in the region.
“We call on all sides to maintain rationality and restraint, not engage in actions that would increase tensions, and not to open Pandora’s box,” Wang said at a briefing in Beijing with Syrian counterpart Walid al-Muallem, amid increasing tensions between the US and Iran in the Persian Gulf. “The US, especially, should change its practice of exerting maximum
pressure. All unilateral actions do not have a basis in international law, will not solve problems, but will instead create a bigger crisis.”
Wang also urged a faster political resolution to Syria’s long-running conflict.