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U.S. Adds Forces in Persian Gulf, a Signal to Iran
(New York Times) Thom Shanker, Eric Schmitt and David E. Sanger - The U.S. has quietly moved significant military reinforcements into the Persian Gulf to deter the Iranian military from any possible attempt to shut the Strait of Hormuz, and to increase the number of fighter jets capable of striking deep into Iran if the standoff over its nuclear program escalates. The Navy has doubled the number of minesweepers assigned to the region, to eight. "The message to Iran is, 'Don't even think about closing the strait,'" one senior Defense Department official said. "This is not only about Iranian nuclear ambitions, but about Iran's regional hegemonic ambitions," the official said.