VOA常速英语:嗅到威胁：美国对伊朗严阵以待

A show of force and a clear signal to Iran: A Patriot missile battery and the USS Arlington will join four B-52 bombers and the massive USS Abraham Lincoln Aircraft Carrier Strike Group which arrived in the region Thursday. Commanders requested all of this extra power after intelligence picked up potential Iranian threats on land and sea against American forces in the region. It’s important that Iran understand that attack on Americans or its interests will be met with an appropriate response.

The threats included commercial vessels that Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps had loaded with military hardware to include missiles, according to a senior military official. The USS Arlington provides advanced command capabilities to speed up the American military response time to potential attacks. The Patriot missile battery defense system can shoot down ballistic missiles, cruise missiles and aircraft. Officials say the United States does not want war, but it will protect the American forces, and they say the Iranian threat is still real and credible.
Carla Babb, VOA News, the Pentagon.