US sends assault ship to Middle East amid Iran threat

Headquarters of US Defence Department - Pentagon has announced that it is deploying an amphibious assault ship and a Patriot missile battery to the Middle East. 

The object is to bolster an aircraft carrier force sent to counter alleged threats from Iran. The assets will



join the USS Abraham Lincoln Carrier Strike Group and a US Air Force bomber task force in the Middle East region. 

The Pentagon claimed the step comes in response to indications of heightened Iranian readiness to conduct offensive operations against US forces and interests.