U.S. military has no major plans to bolster its forces in the Middle East; Iran warns of retaliation if attacked
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    • According to reports, the U.S. military has no major plans to bolster its forces in the Middle East despite a week of violent protests targeting diplomatic outposts, Defense Secretary Leon Panetta said on September 16. With a substantial force already deployed in the region coupled with two U.S. Marine counter-terrorism teams sent to Libya and Yemen, the military has the ability to respond as necessary to protect American diplomats, Panetta told reporters before arriving in Tokyo on an Asian tour. “We do have a major presence in the region,” he noted. “Having said that, we’ve enhanced that with FAST (Fleet Anti-Terrorism Security Team) teams and others so that if they are requested, they can respond more quickly” Panetta added. 1
    In another development, according to reports, the head of Iran’s powerful Revolutionary Guards on September 16 warned of retaliation against the Gulf’s strategic Strait of Hormuz, U.S. bases in the Middle East and Israel if his country was to be attacked. Gen. Mohammad Ali Jafari, speaking in a very rare news conference in Tehran, also said that he believed Iran would abandon the nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty should it be targeted for military action. The warnings underlined the high tensions surrounding Iran and its disputed nuclear program, which Israel has threatened that it could seek to disrupt with air strikes, with or without U.S. help. 2

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