The US is sending an additional 1,000 troops to the Middle East in response to \u201chostile behavior by Iranian forces and their proxy groups\u201d, Patrick Shanahan, the acting defence secretary, announced on Monday.<\/span><\/p>\n The move further heightens tensions between the two nations. Last week Washington blamed Iran for attacks on two oil tanker ships<\/strong><\/span><\/a>, which came more than a year after Donald Trump announced that the US was withdrawing from a 2015 nuclear deal and restoring economic sanctions.<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cI have authorized approximately 1,000 additional troops for defensive purposes to address air, naval, and ground-based threats in the Middle East,\u201d Shanahan said in a statement<\/strong><\/span>.<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n \u201cThe recent Iranian attacks validate the reliable, credible intelligence we have received on hostile behavior by Iranian forces and their proxy groups that threaten United States personnel and interests across the region.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n The acting secretary added: \u201cThe United States does not seek conflict with Iran<\/a>. 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.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n Officials told the Associated Press the deployment included security forces and troops for additional surveillance and intelligence gathering and was among options initially laid out to US leaders late last month. Those options included as <\/a>many as 10,000<\/a> troops, along with Patriot missile batteries, aircraft and ships.<\/span><\/p>\n As relations worsen, Iran also said on Monday that it would soon breach limits on how much enriched uranium it can stockpile under the nuclear deal, officially called the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA).<\/span><\/p>\n The accord, which was brokered by Barack Obama and which Iran and the other signatories have maintained following Trump\u2019s withdrawal, caps Iran\u2019s stock of low-enriched uranium at 300kg enriched to 3.67%. But Iran said it had quadrupled the rate of enrichment, so that in 10 days it would bypass the 300 kg limit.<\/span><\/p>\n A spokesman for the White House National Security Council said this amounted to \u201cnuclear blackmail\u201d.<\/span><\/p>\n Morgan Ortagus, a spokeswoman for the state department, told reporters on Monday: \u201cWe continue to call on the Iranian regime not to obtain a nuclear weapon, to abide by their commitments to the international community.<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s unfortunate that they have made this announcement today. It doesn\u2019t surprise anybody and this is why the president has often said that the JCPOA needs to be replaced with a better deal.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n The US decision to pull out, and Trump\u2019s \u201cAmerica first\u201d approach to foreign policy, appears to have damaged trust with allies, some of whom are seeking stronger proof that Iran was behind the oil tanker attacks.<\/span><\/p>\n Mike Pompeo, the secretary of state, told CBS\u2019s Face the Nation on Sunday<\/a><\/strong><\/span>: \u201cYes, we\u2019ve shared it with allies already. You\u2019ve had the chance to see it. I made a bunch of phone calls yesterday, I\u2019ll make a whole bunch more calls today. The world needs to unite against this threat from the Islamic Republic of Iran.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n On Monday, the Pentagon released new images<\/strong><\/span><\/a> it said showed Iran was behind the attack on one of the ships. The case rests on an unexploded limpet mine on the Kokuka Courageous tanker ship that the US says was removed by Iranians on a patrol boat.<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cIran is responsible for the attack based on video evidence and the resources and proficiency needed to quickly remove the unexploded limpet mine,\u201d the Pentagon said in a statement accompanying the imagery.<\/span><\/p>\n