US to send reinforcements to Gulf after increased Iranian threat to shipping

WASHINGTON — The United States said Friday it was sending reinforcements to the Gulf after what it called increasing harassment by Iran of ships in the oil-rich waters.

“The Department of Defense will be making a series of moves to bolster our defensive posture” in the Gulf, National Security Council spokesman John Kirby told reporters, saying there would be “details on those reinforcements in coming days.”

The US Navy’s Fifth Fleet, based in Bahrain, said in a statement that it was “working with regional allies and partners to increase the rotation of ships and aircraft” that patrol the Strait of Hormuz, the crucial chokepoint into the Gulf. READ MORE